What Therapy is Like

My Approach to Therapy

I’m committed to helping you fully express yourself and to finding solutions to your problems that work for you.

I tend to be more interactive than many counselors and strive to be clear and direct, down-to-earth and practical.

I’ve done this so long, I’ve developed my own personal approach to psychotherapy I call Reflective Eclectic, drawing on a number of techniques, including Narrative , Cognitive Behavioral, Internal Family Systems, Motivational Enhancement, Solution Focused, Neuro-Linguistic, Existential, and Client Centered Therapy, among others, selecting from each as it seems appropriate.

However, I have found that techniques are not as important as the working alliance that the counselor and the client build together.

I strive to create a private, non-judgmental environment that feels like a natural, normal conversation, but turns out to be like no other conversation you’ve ever had.

I try to challenge you to think about your troubling issues in a different way and to use your creativity to find new solutions to your problems.

After each session, I write a summary of it to share with you.

I will invite you to give me feedback as we go along so that I can alter my approach to make our sessions more effective in achieving your goals.

By reading my website, you already know something about me. Please tell me something about you and what we could work on together.

What are Sessions Like?

Our first session will involve an evaluation of your needs. By the end of the evaluation, I will be able to give you some first impressions of what our work will include and a treatment plan to be able to follow, if we decide to continue with therapy. You should evaluate this information to determine whether you feel comfortable working with me. Therapy involves a commitment of time, money, and energy, so you should be thoughtful about the therapist you select.

Once psychotherapy has begun, we should schedule regular appointment times. Each session will last 45-50 minutes. I like to meet often enough so we don’t forget what we’re doing, but not so frequent you have nothing to talk about. 

When I work with couples, I find it’s best if I can meet with both partners at the same time initially so that both can feel they have equal footing. I will often then ask to meet with the partners individually so that it’s easier for you to talk about your concerns. Then, after knowing the territory better, I will work with you at communicating more openly with your partner.

To ensure that I am meeting your needs, I will often ask you to assess our progress and areas for improvement. I welcome questions and feedback because it gives me the opportunity to improve my skills.

Patient Portal

 I have set up a patient portal  where you can look up, schedule or change appointments, view and download account balances, pay bills, and exchange secure, encrypted messages with me.

I believe the real therapy is what you do between sessions. I don’t want you to forget what we talked about, so I will send you a summary in the patient portal after every meeting. Please read these and respond, so you can learn more from the experience.