I believe therapy can be a transforming, life-enhancing experience. There are several key elements in therapy that produce this kind of change:
Collaboration
At its best, effective therapy is a collaboration between therapist and client to resolve issues the client brings. I tend to be active in therapy. I ask questions, offer observations, and look for patterns in your life, past and present. I do, however, believe you are the final expert on yourself, and I honor your sense of what works for you.Compassionate, shame free treatment
It’s important that you feel safe, respected, and non-judged. In particular, individuals recovering from addiction or other self-sabotaging behaviors are not seen as bad people who need to become good, but rather wounded people who need to become well.Getting to the roots
Addressing surface behaviors alone produces short-term relief at the expense of long-term change. It is essential to help the client identify the root causes that created the behavior or attitudes. This involves exploring and reducing carried pain from the past. Whatever the issue that brings you into therapy, whether individual or relational, I believe that today’s difficulties can be the doorway to significant personal growth and the development of a more authentic self."The world breaks everyone,
and afterward many are strong
at the broken places."
-Ernest Hemmingway