How I Can Help
My Therapy Style
Kindness and warmth are qualities I value and show no matter how hard this process might be at times. I value co-creating with my clients. This means that I value what you want to work on and focus on and want to do this with you. That also means that I expect that my clients have goals and things they are bringing to session to focus on. No matter how much training, learning or experience I get, I am still not you and you are still the expert on you. I will reflect your process and what I see in you but I always want my clients to challenge me if something doesn’t fit for them or something I say isn’t sitting right. If you think about volleyball or tennis as a metaphor here, the ball goes back and forth and that is what I see this process to be like. I will be engaging with you and speaking and asking things, you don’t have to fill up the space and talk the whole time. Also, I use a lot of metaphors and analogies, as I just did. I think that using an illustration like a metaphor or analogy is helpful to learning something new and grasping something that is hard to grasp or has never been explored before. My aim is to be a real person in session so therapy with me will often feel conversational. Though it’s certainly a very unusual type of conversation that does not exist anywhere else outside of the space of therapy.
Specialties
Individual Therapy
If you are seeking out individual therapy, we will start with the phone consultation and then the initial session. We will likely spend several sessions addressing what you are really looking to work on and what your goals for therapy are. I integrate a variety of modalities so we will also discuss what would fit best for what you are looking for. I view this prcess as a collaboration and a co-creation for you to engage in processing areas you have never touched before. This means that there are times the process can be very uncomfortable. I will never force you to go somewhere you aren’t ready but I will kindly challenge you and point to some areas we can explore when you are ready. I welcome feedback and any thoughts and concerns that you may have during the entire process.
Couples Therapy
If you are seeking out couples therapy, I welcome both of you to be part of the phone consult. It isn’t necessary but I’ve found that it is beneficial to start things off all together. I have both members of a couple fill out separate paperwork so you will both be involved in every part of the process. My stance in couples therapy is that you have both co-created the relationship dynamics and whatever the issues are that are bringing you to therapy. This means that I won’t be looking to take anyone’s side but will be looking to challenge both of you. I like to use the metaphor of untangling a knot when working with couples. You both together have created a knot or two that is likely bruising you metaphorically. You’re hurting each other but you really love each other so our aim together is to untangle the knot to produce healing feel the love that you have for each other.
Questions before getting started?
Get in touch.
What Happens Next?
After a phone consultation call where we can talk through any concerns or questions you may have, we will schedule a first session. In-between this phone consult and the first session you will receive an email with a link to fill out paperwork prior to the first session. Once the paperwork is done you will be all set for the first session!
A first session, also called an intake session, is a little different than regular therapy sessions. In this initial session we will review paperwork, the therapy contract, and things such as limits to confidentiality. I will ask you questions about what is bringing you to therapy as well as what you hope to get out of therapy. We will discuss goals that you have for the therapy process as well. This is a great time for you to ask questions about the therapy process, how the process will go with me specifically, or even any questions you have about myself. All the research on therapy outcomes continues to point to the therapeutic relationship being the most important in this process. Meaning, the safer and better the client or clients fit and feel with the therapist, the better the outcomes of therapy are and the higher the likelihood of you meeting your goals. So goodness of fit, if we are a good match, is what will really make this process the best. I am happy to give referrals to other therapists if we find that I am not the best fit for you. My hope is for you to go through a beneficial therapy process and heal, even if that isn’t with me.