The process of counseling or psychotherapy can be fun, challenging, frightening, emotionally difficult and requires lots of hard work. However, the rewards and benefits can be life changing and life affirming. Imagine your life if you unlocked your potential, managed life's stressors and began accomplishing the things that you set out to do. Counseling or psychotherapy makes this possible.
Every individual brings their unique life experiences and perspectives to counseling or psychotherapy. I provide practical counseling or psychotherapy to help you heal from emotional pain, provide you with practical tools to manage emotional distress and to develop coping skills to deal with life's stressors. I utilize techniques from various theories that are professionally sanctioned and/or well researched regarding their effectiveness. I provide both short term solution focused counseling or psychotherapy and longer term in-depth counseling or psychotherapy. The theories that I most frequently use are psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral and psycho-education.
At the beginning of our work together, I will invite you to tell me what's on your mind regarding the issues that brought you to counseling or psychotherapy. We will discuss various aspects of your life as they relate to your issue(s). Once I have an initial sense of your needs, we will discuss and develop a treatment plan which will include initial goals. I will also let you know my recommendations whether your goals are achievable with brief psychotherapy or counseling (12 sessions or less) or longer term psychotherapy or counseling (more than 12 sessions).
The treatment plan is like a road map that we follow during the course of counseling or psychotherapy. And like a road map, there are different routes/pathways that can be taken to reach your goals. We will discuss the treatment plan as needed and make any adjustments as necessary during the course of your counseling or psychotherapy.
CONFIDENTIALITY
In accordance with professional standards as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and the law, I am required to treat you in a professional manner at all times. This includes keeping our counseling or psychotherapy sessions strictly confidential.
I will NOT release any information to any outside source unless we first discuss the situation and you give me written permission to provide information to that source. Once I have your written permission I will only release information that is relevant to that specific situation.
However, there are legal exceptions to the above. The following situations permit me to break confidentiality without your permission:
- During the course of our work I suspect that a child, an elderly person or developmentally disabled adult is in danger of being harmed.
- During the course of our work I conclude that you are a danger to yourself or others.
