How I Work

I work with several counseling theories and techniques. Some of the theories I draw from are the cognitive theories (which look at how we think about things), the behavioral theories (which look at how we do things), and the theories that address our emotions (how we feel inside and about things/people around us). I utilize all three areas, giving more weight, perhaps, to one or more depending upon the issues that a client is presenting to me. 

I help clients gain awareness about why certain issues are there for them, buttons get pushed, patterns are established, etc. by looking briefly at the person’s family history and prior relationships. I then help people clarify the counseling work that they want to do and also help with setting realistic goals. I work primarily in the here and now to help people look at where they are versus where they want to be.

I work with a variety of issues including anxiety, depression, stress, grief and loss, divorce adjustment, teen issues, step and blended families, workplace issues, addiction, and life transitions. I help people at all different levels of distress or dissatisfaction and always want the counseling experience to be what my client needs it to be. This will be different for everyone because we are so individual! 

Some people want to focus specifically on problem-solving in one certain area (for example a work setting). Other people want to look at life-long patterns that continue to keep them in a negative cycle. Some want help with decision-making around problematic relationships. Another common theme is building self-esteem and confidence so that people can tackle and accomplish what they want. 

Sometimes clients have a combination of things going on and want to look at how these things are all interconnected. Whatever the presenting issue or issues, I always want to make sure that my focus for someone is the same as their focus, and I check our progress regularly to insure that we are on track together. I truly believe that we all have our own answers within us and just need help accessing them!

I’m a big believer in creating and maintaining balance in our lives. If clients are interested in looking at that, I help people to examine areas where they may be out of balance and how they can pull their lives more into balance. A lot of times this involves time-management and assertiveness. I also believe in the concepts around mind/body connections and our energy system. If these areas interest my clients as well, we can look at how visualization may help with something or how energy is being lost in certain situations, as examples of that kind of work.

I work with individuals, couples, families and groups.

I am very careful with confidentiality matters and do many things to ensure that clients are protected as much as possible. Please feel free to ask me more about this.

Please continue to learn more about my Fees and Scheduling.