How therapy works:
Psychotherapy can involve traditional "talk therapy" as well as art therapy, expressive arts, play therapy and sand tray work. Therapy provides an opportunity to better understand your emotions, thoughts, feeling, behaviors, and ways that you relate to others in order to find ways to feel better and gain clarity, overcome obstacles or barriers and lead fulfilling lives. People may come to therapy to resolve inter-personal conflicts, relationship concerns or to deal with grief and loss, anxiety, trauma, depression or simply to navigate around developmental life stages such as career, marriage, new baby, child parent concerns, divorce and coping with an empty nest.
Therapy sessions are usually weekly, although you may choose to come more or less often. The first few sessions of psychotherapy will focus on the what inspired you to seek therapy and what you hope to gain from the therapeutic process. Through working collaboratively, we will have a direction, a focus, and a goal centered around the reasons that you currently seek therapy. Goals can range from reducing depression or anxiety to changing relationship patterns, a myriad of other concerns all resulting in living a fulfilling and satisfying life.
Being able to explore feelings, problem solve, reduce self defeating behaviors and patterns, understand yourself better and work through traumas and difficulties requires a safe secure trusting relationship with a supportive, empathic nonjudgmental objective therapist. While the theoretical approach or orientation of the therapist is important in this process, research and studies tell us that it is the therapeutic relationship, or "fit" between you and your therapist, that most impacts successful positive outcomes of therapy.
Therapy sessions are usually weekly, although you may choose to come more or less often. The first few sessions of psychotherapy will focus on the what inspired you to seek therapy and what you hope to gain from the therapeutic process. Through working collaboratively, we will have a direction, a focus, and a goal centered around the reasons that you currently seek therapy. Goals can range from reducing depression or anxiety to changing relationship patterns, a myriad of other concerns all resulting in living a fulfilling and satisfying life.
Being able to explore feelings, problem solve, reduce self defeating behaviors and patterns, understand yourself better and work through traumas and difficulties requires a safe secure trusting relationship with a supportive, empathic nonjudgmental objective therapist. While the theoretical approach or orientation of the therapist is important in this process, research and studies tell us that it is the therapeutic relationship, or "fit" between you and your therapist, that most impacts successful positive outcomes of therapy.
How I work:
I believe therapy works best when it is collaborative and centered around your needs. In the first few sessions, I usually ask many questions and explore your reasons for coming to therapy and what you hope to gain or accomplish in therapy. The therapy hour is your time, and you'll be invited to bring whatever topics feel important and relevant to discuss. As we move forward, we'll engage in collaborative conversation about the concerns that brought you to therapy, and I'll offer feedback and invite you to question and explore yourself as you build new ways of understanding and being in the world.
My theoretical orientation combines psychodynamic approaches focusing on your personal and family history as well as cognitive behavioral therapy to help respond to thoughts, feelings and behaviors that may be contributing to current problems. We will look at one's relationship with self, others and one's experience in the world.
The understanding of one's primary experience with family of origin is an important part of this work with emphasis, however on making internal shifts that lead to more satisfying experiences and fulfillment in life. From time to time therapy can illicit feelings that may be painful or uncomfortable, this is natural part of therapy that can pave the way to feeling better and having a positive outcome.
For articles and resources on mental health topics, please visit www.counselingcalifornia.com.
My theoretical orientation combines psychodynamic approaches focusing on your personal and family history as well as cognitive behavioral therapy to help respond to thoughts, feelings and behaviors that may be contributing to current problems. We will look at one's relationship with self, others and one's experience in the world.
The understanding of one's primary experience with family of origin is an important part of this work with emphasis, however on making internal shifts that lead to more satisfying experiences and fulfillment in life. From time to time therapy can illicit feelings that may be painful or uncomfortable, this is natural part of therapy that can pave the way to feeling better and having a positive outcome.
For articles and resources on mental health topics, please visit www.counselingcalifornia.com.