I focus on outcomes and the needs of my clients

I believe it’s my job to help you determine what sort of life and relationships you want to have and then help you create that reality. I don’t use a ‘one size fits all’ approach with my clients – I’ve chosen to learn a variety of therapy approaches so that I can help you more effectively . Through getting to know you, your learning style, your current problems, and your goals for our work together, we can create a treatment plan that fits your specific needs. We’ll focus our counseling sessions on topics that will support you in moving towards your treatment goals, with regular check-ins to help ensure that you’re getting what you need from our work.

While I do provide 50 minute office sessions, which are pretty ‘standard’ for therapy and work well for many people, I also realize that’s not the right fit for everyone. So, if you want longer sessions or would prefer to work via Skype, telephone, or email, it’s not a problem.

How long I work with clients varies – I’ve had clients who came for just one session to get help in exploring a specific decision they wanted to make and others who have come for a period of years to help them heal from deep emotional wounds. Here’s what it comes down to: we’ll work together as long as you find it helpful and productive. Some of the the factors that influence length of treatment include childhood abuse, past relationship experiences, and the amount of time and energy you can dedicate to the process.

There’s 168 hours in your week. I’ll often recommend books or suggest ‘homework’ assignments to help you reinforce the material from our sessions and put it into practice.

I’ll teach you new tools and skills

In my office, you’ll find much more than a place to talk or vent. Yes, I’m a good listener – but there’s a lot more to therapy than just talking. In many ways, I’m more like a teacher or coach, helping you learn and master the skills that you need to create the life and relationships that you want.

I use interdisciplinary knowledge about healing, growth, and change in my work

I love learning and have always been a voracious reader. There has been some amazing research done in recent years on the subjects of change, motivation, and success that I believe has significant relevance to the field of psychotherapy. Books such as Daniel Pink’s “Drive”, Dan Ariely’s “Predictably Irrational”, Jim Collins’ “Good to Great”, Tony Schwartz & Jim Loehr’s “The Power of Full Engagement” and Carol Dweck’s “Mindset”, among others, have provided me with valuable tools and information that I bring to my work as an addition to my psychological training & education.

I’m not just going to sit and listen

You may have heard about or experienced the ‘emotionless’ therapist who keeps their thoughts and feelings under wraps and presents you with an expressionless ‘blank screen’ of a face, just listening and nodding, with the occasional ‘how did that make you feel?’ thrown in. You may have sat in the office with a therapist who waits for you to begin, even if you’ve never been in therapy before and don’t know what to do. If those things doesn’t appeal to you, don’t worry – you won’t experience them in my office. Like you, I’m a real person, with feelings, opinions, and life experience. I’m here to help people have better relationships & happier lives – and part of what makes that process successful is the quality of our relationship … which requires me to be a real person.