My Approach
I believe that everyone has the ability to make positive change in their lives, and as a therapist, I see myself as a facilitator of change. To help clients better their lives, I facilitate their understanding of themselves and the challenges they are facing, support them in finding motivation for change, and aid them in identify ways they can establish and maintain more positive ways of being.
To bring about the changes my clients wish to make, I utilize the qualities and techniques I have found helpful for clients. Most importantly, my compassion helps make therapy a safe and comfortable space for clients to express themselves. My optimism helps me remind clients of the positive things they may be overlooking and helps me to motivate them.
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The techniques I most commonly employ in therapy are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Strength Based Therapy, Mindfulness, and Narrative Therapy. CBT is about recognizing and changing negative thought patterns which ultimately leads to emotional and behavioral change. Strength based therapy helps identify clients' strengths and find ways to use those strengths to overcome challenges and accomplish goals. Mindfulness is about living in the present moment without judgment. It is a technique that can be learned and practiced to bring more gratitude and happiness into our lives. Narrative Therapy helps to create a story of our lives and when looking at this story themes can be identified. These themes can point to negative patterns that need to be addressed or can identify strengths that can be used in the future.
With couples I use some of the techniques described above as well as Emotionally Focused Therapy and Gottman Method. Emotionally Focused Therapy helps couples identify their negative communication/interaction patterns as well as change these patterns by learning communication skills, expressing feelings underneath anger, and practicing empathy. The Gottman Method identifies what makes a good relationship and what things create negativity in a relationship. This examination helps identify strengths in the relationship which can be used to improve it and weaknesses can be addressed.