My Approach to Helping
My philosophy is that life is about opportunities. The reality is that life throws many things our way - not all of them pleasant or desired - but that is what life is about. My approach is to work with clients to explore origins and aspects of life's ills and ailments, and to bring consciousness to how our past informs the way we respond to life. We then develop holistic and cognitive strategies for coping with those things that are a part of our lives and overcoming those things that we have the opportunity to let go of. This process of mindfulness has applications in many areas - from family relations, job stress, and dealing with chronicterminal illness. We cannot always control what happens, nor can we magically change how we respond, but we can always make adaptations - with patience and perseverance - that help us to cope and to live with greater quality.
More Info About My Practice
I work out of my home office. My schedule is flexible for mornings and evenings, as well as occasional daytimes. My fee is $125hour. I am a part of the Magellan Behavioral Health network. I also offer a generous sliding scale. I have had extensive experience working with people with HIVAIDS, sexual identity and orientation, and familyparenting issues.
Specific Issue(s) I'm Skilled at Helping With
One area of particular strength is working with people to see patterns in their lives and relationships, the origins of these patterns, and how they might want to change them. It is a very systems-oriented approach. I have had experiences with adults in relationships as well as with parents relating to their children.
My View on the Purpose of Psychotherapy
For me, therapy is about seeing what we can let go of in life, and what we have to learn to accept. In doing so, we often talk about the role that fear, forgiveness and higher purposecalling can play in softening our often-stuck beliefs about the world, how it should be and how we should be so that we can expend our energies in being healthier and more whole.
My Role as a Therapist
I see the role of the therapist as being a combination witness, confessor, consultant, advisor, coach and cheerleader. My job is to hold gently and lovingly to the issue and concerns of the client, but also to insure that the client is the one with the autonomy to bring about change. I am a partner on the journey, but the client is leading the way.
