Kelly Sanders, Therapist 91730, Therapist Rancho Cucamonga

Kelly Sanders, MFT

Profession(s):
Marriage & Family Therapy, Social Work, Social Work
License Status:
I'm a licensed professional.
Primary License:
MFCC - 41243

My Approach to Helping

Everyone has "issues". Some may be more apparent than others. Some issues are from our environment (family, what we've learned) and from the choices that we make. Some issues may be genetic. Even with the issues or challenges that a person faces, there are tools that a person can use to not just cope with the issues but to become a stronger and healthier individual. I believe that we can all become healthier, strong, autonomous, and be able to express our needs and wants to help us be strong and help others. It can be an uncomfortable road if a person is not sure of how to say what they think and feel, and together we will work it through. We may not be able to change our past, but we are able to change our future by looking at our thoughts and feelings.

More Info About My Practice

I have been licensed for 6 years. I have worked in a school setting with emotionally disturbed children and special needs kids. I work in a hospital and assess individuals who are thinking of suicide. I enjoy what I do, helping individuals become strong in who they are and help guide them to go where they want to go. I like to ask questions because healthy questions can lead to healthy answers. Understanding how we perceive an issue will help a person learn how to respond to an issue instead of react to one. It takes work and sometimes we can make things harder than the situation may need to be. The past can not be changed but how a person looks at their present can help change their future. You can let your circumstances define your life or you can let your life define your circumstances.

Specific Issue(s) I'm Skilled at Helping With

Yes. The issue that I feel that I' m adept to helping people is to change thier negative thoughts. Negative thoughts or also known as cognitive distotions, keep people in limbo from moving forward in their lives. When the nwgative thoughts are identified and addressed, the person has an easier time changing the thoughts and moving forward. It can be challenging however when changing the negative thoughts into positive ones but the more it is practiced the easier it will be.

My Role as a Therapist

Overall, I view my role as a therapist like a coach. Wherever the person is at in their life or situations, I want to guide them back on track. If this is encouragement, getting new tools to respond with, be tough with them if they are in denial and also reminding them of their goal, to get healthier. There are times when I play the role of a parent, a director, a policeman (only in session), coach, teacher and a facilitator. No matter what hat I wear in session, I am engaged with the client and helping them to get to where they want to be, which is a newer and healthier version of themselves.

The Duration and Frequency of Therapy

The length of therapy can depend on a couple of things: how serious the client's issue is, how motivated they are, if they have been in therapy before and again, how motivated they are and will be in therapy. On the average, I see clients about every 2 weeks. I do see clients on a weekly basis and that is something that the client may want. If a client has pretty good coping skills and in some ways needs some fine tuning, then once a week or every 2 weeks will be a good time frame for the client to work on the issues that were addressed in counseling and to utilize the newer coping skills. If a client has mandated therapy, then the amount of sessions will be depended on what is written in the court order. If a client is in group therapy, or is working with other resources, then counseling may be less. Both the client and myself will address when therapy is complete. We will look over the goals, how they have been met, how the client is feeling, how the client will continue to make progress without therapy. I also remind the client that if they get "stuck" again, they can always come back.