My Approach to Helping
Research shows consistently that no matter what counseling method is used, the connection between you and your counselor is the essential factor in you feeling better about yourself and your life. If you are looking for a warm, open, authentic, compassionate and practical therapist then you are at the right place. I am active during the session and won't let you stay stuck. We talk about what works for you and how you want to proceed while giving me feedback throughout the process.
I am an active therapist, I don't just "sit there". A lot of my clients tell me that other therapists didn't react to what they are saying. Yes I listen deeply, but it is also helpful to understand how to cope with difficult feelings and situations. I am active, warm, supportive and practical in sessions. My goal is to help you learn how to be resilient to get through problems. Therapy is a way to get on with life and shouldn't be a way of life.
Many of my clients are high achievers and professionals that own business' or are therapists themselves.
Since reality and meaning are created by you, what you think about your problem and yourself is important. It is also significant what is happening for you in the present moment, in the therapy room and in the therapeutic relationship. Your problems will be undermined by looking at some of your beliefs about yourself, the world and how you might be unknowingly perpetuating the problem.
About 70% of my weekly practice is spent with couples, so I am quite experienced with relationship problems. Working with couples is some of my favorite work, we work to repair the bonds between people and get over past huts.
I am passionate about couples therapy, it is my speciality. I am certified in Emotionally Focused Therapy which is an empirically-validated model, with 16 outcome studies. I can help you and your partner talk about difficult things with a lot of emotional safety. My couples tell me that afterwards they feel more connected to their partners and more at ease with themselves.
Through Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, you will restructure the negative repetitive cycles you and your partner get caught in, over and over, feeling like there is no way to stop. The goal is to help you go from angry, withdrawn, hostile and guarded in your relationship, to feeling safer, warmer and more bonded. Most of all, the love, trust and connection that you once had with your partner can be rekindled and grow to a deeper level than ever before.
I also use a technique for resolving trauma: EMDR is an acronym for Eye Movement
Desensitization and Reprocessing, a therapy method that can help resolve painful life memories that still impact you, often in much fewer sessions than traditional talk therapy. Proven over a 20 year history of treatment and research, it works to resolve the way distressing memories are stored in the brain. It is recommended by the American Psychological Association and the Veterans Administration as an effective method.
More Info About My Practice
I am an out of network provider with insurance companies which means that I do not bill insurance companies directly. Your counseling services may be eligible for reimbursement through out-of-network benefits, medical spending or health care savings accounts. Health insurance plans and benefits vary. Check with your provider about reimbursement for your counseling services.
Some reasons to pay privately or Out of Pocket:
Private paying clients choose not to involve insurance companies in their mental health care. Their counseling is not limited by the diagnosis, treatment plan or session limits that health insurance companies dictate. Insurance companies often limit the number of sessions and even the type of therapy. Many insurance companies do not cover couplesrelational or family therapy.
To have therapy services covered under insurance, a mental health diagnosis must be made. This then becomes a part of your permanent health care record. This may lead to limitations such as denial for quality life insurance or health insurance later on. Additionally, since a mental health diagnosis must be made to obtain reimbursement, the insurance company has to know a lot of information about you to be covered. The insurance company can review all of your records at their discretion.
By paying privately or out of pocket, I can assure private pay clients of the highest degree of privacy, flexibility and control of their mental health record allowed by Minnesota state law, since my records are exempt from insurance reporting and random compliance audits. Our work is off record.
In addition, many insurance companies require a deductible to be met before they start paying, so you may be paying out of pocket anyway.
We will work collaboratively to decide how often to attend therapy and you decide what you want to focus on. You have the control, not the insurance company.
Sliding fee scale available to clients with limited resources according to a fee schedule, please contact Renee at 612-875-6416 to discuss your specific situation.
Specific Issue(s) I'm Skilled at Helping With
I use Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy to help distressed couples because it deals with the basic human question of feeling safe in a relationship. Is my partner really there when I call? Do I feel secure? When I most need my husbandwife is heshe there for me? These are the issues that are the cause of most marital and relationship difficulty. If we feel alone in our relationship it is highly distressing and can feel like we are fighting for our lives. We then either protest by fighting, and becoming critical of our partner or we feel overwhelmed and completely withdraw. In my work with couples I focus on strengthen the bond between them. Problem solving is a natural result of feeling close and connected. Emotion Focused Couples Therapy is highly researched and evidence based in working with conflicted couples. Once couples trust and can depend on each other problems generally slip away.
On the Fence About Going to Therapy?
A good indicator that you might want counseling is when you are having difficulties at work, when you are having a hard time concentrating, if you feel unhappy more days than not, if you cannot sleep, have a hard time figuring out what is important in your life, or just cannot manage the stress anymore. If you are currently questioning if you should go into counseling, that is probably the best indicator that you should. Trust your instincts.
Importance of the Client-Therapist Alliance
Healing happens when people have different life experiences. The relationship with the therapist can provide a new life experience which can be generalized to others. I provide a an experience of deep listening, validation, warmth and humor.
