TREATMENT APPROACH
My personal belief is that therapy is a healthy response to circumstances and emotions that are impacting our ability to live a full life. By proactively seeking growth and change, we can make positive life changes to help us effectively cope with the potential stresses of work, relationships, and difficult life circumstances that are beyond our control.
For many people, it can be difficult to begin psychotherapy. To ease this process, I will meet with you for an initial evaluation. This meeting will give us the necessary information to understand your concerns and my ability to assist you. This is also an important opportunity for you to ensure that I am a good fit for your personal needs.
Following this evaluation, we will mutually decide if treatment with me will be helpful for you. At that time, I will work collaboratively with you to create realistic expectations for your therapy goals.
The framework for psychotherapy is typically meeting once per week for sessions that last for about 50 minutes. The length of treatment varies for each individual. Research suggests that many people see benefits within several months.
During that time, I will work to build a safe and nonjudgmental environment in which you will feel comfortable sharing. The first phase of therapy typically involves building a therapeutic relationship, which will be about creating a partnership towards meeting therapy goals. This phase also begins with exploring your perceptions and attitudes about your life, current concerns, and sense of self.
After developing awareness and insight into your perceptions and attitudes, we can then utilize a strength-based approach to guide you towards coping in new ways, considering alternative perspectives, and trying new behaviors. It is important to know that therapy can be hard work, and I will be supportive of your efforts to make changes.
Throughout this process, I will cultivate a therapeutic style that is supportive, warm and empathic. I seek to provide an individualized approach for my clients. I recognize that some clients may prefer an active and direct style, and others might feel more comfortable with less direction. I strive to meet my clients’ needs in this regard.
My work with adolescents is similar in style, with a few important differences. My approach is rooted in the idea that a child is part of the greater family system, making parental and family involvement essential to potential changes in the adolescent. I believe that adolescents need to feel a sense of safety and trust in the therapeutic relationship in order to comfortably share and properly use therapy. Thus, I seek a careful balance between parental involvement (and, if appropriate, school involvement), and protecting the privacy of the adolescent.
My theoretical orientation is eclectic. I have been influenced primarily by psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and relational theories. I tend to incorporate approaches that foster self-empowerment. I am able to use cognitive-behavioral therapy to address specific concerns, particularly with eating disorders, anxiety disorders and tinnitus-related issues.