What does working with me look like?

I was recently watching TV (one of my favorite things to do when I need to get out of my own head) and a therapist was being portrayed.  She started using all the fancy psychological terms that made her seem really smart (you know… Your subconscious unresolved conflicts are manifesting as heightened anxiety, inhibiting your ability to engage in self-soothing behaviors and disrupting your emotional equilibrium.), but that left the poor client scratching his head wondering what it all meant.

Well, that’s not me!  Yes (in case you were wondering), I could spout all the technical terminology at you, but I don’t want to and I don’t think you really want me to.  I’d rather sit down and have a real conversation where it feels more like you’re talking with a friend… who happens to know the technical terms as you’re talking about how stressed you are and can help you in learning the tools to cope with that stress.  This also means you won’t find me throwing a bunch of acronyms at you so that you feel like you need a glossary of terms to follow along.  My goal is to make sure that you feel comfortable and understand what’s happening in the therapy room so you can apply it outside, in your life.

You may be thinking “That sounds great, but what is her approach to therapy”?

(For those of you who want the in-depth details, the first paragraph is for you.  For the rest of you, feel free to skip to the second paragraph where I break it all down.)

Well, I like to describe myself as an eclectic therapist.  My expertise stems from in-depth training and education, but I don't confine myself to a single modality. Rather, I draw upon my diverse knowledge and skill set to tailor strategies that align with your unique situation. My practice typically draws from a blend of approaches, including elements from Motivational Interviewing, Person-Centered Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Gestalt Therapy, Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS), Therapeutic-Crisis Intervention (TCI), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Positive Psychology, Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE), Family Systems Therapy, and Relationship Therapy.  Whew, that was a lot and it’s ok if you don’t know what most of that meant, because I do!

Another way of saying all of that is, that I look at you as a whole person, not just your challenges, including the MANY and varied strengths you bring to the table and the fact that you know yourself better than anyone else knows you.  Sometimes it’s just a little hard seeing those things in ourselves at times, so I help you do that, as well as help you look at things from different perspectives and learn new ways of handling things.  Therapy doesn’t seem so scary when you think of it in that way, does it?  See, as promised, no glossary of terms needed!

How can this approach be beneficial to you?

Even if you have the same challenges as someone else, the approach you need might be very different.  I don’t believe in putting clients into rigid categories and “prescribing” the technique or modality that “goes with that category”.    After all, you are so much more than the challenges you’re currently facing.