I take a collaborative approach in helping my clients. This means you and I work as a team toward reaching your treatment goals we set together. Imagine you and I are in a car together. You are the driver in charge of telling me where you want to go and where you want to be. I am your navigator helping to guide you through your journey to reach your goals.
Be advised, our time together can lead to unpleasant feelings surfacing as we explore and process your stressors. Those responses are a part of the therapeutic experience. This leads to my next role which is to be fully present with you while providing a safe and open environment for you to work through your discomfort and pain.
Although I consider myself to be a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist, my style can be eclectic which means I use tools from various schools of therapy. This allows me to tailor my techniques to your needs. Considering no two people are the same, I do not use a cookie-cutter treatment for everyone I meet.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy focuses on how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors impact one another. Our ultimate focus in therapy will be to:
- Identify your specific stressor(s)
- Identify what negative thinking patterns become triggered by the stressor(s)
- Identify how those negative thoughts impact how you feel emotionally and physically
- Identify how you act/behave in response to the stressor(s)
The visual aid below shows how this cycle develops and continues. A common expression I’ve been told often is a feeling of being “stuck”. It’s very easy to become “stuck” in this cycle. We will work together to undo this cycle so that you not only feel better, but you can be better too. Feeling better can be temporary since our emotions come and go like waves in the ocean. Being better means that you can cope well enough to work through difficult times even when you don’t feel your best.
