Jill Verofsky, Licensed Professional Counselor

When I am asked by people, "why did you become a therapist? Seems like you just listen to people complain all day"; often people want to paint the role of a therapist as a daunting one, but I take issue with that idea. To be a therapist is to truly be given a gift that allows you to be open, non-judgemental, and unbiased so that you can help another individual heal and improve the quality of their life. Although complicated and at times challenging, being a therapist is an amazing opportunity to serve fellow humans. It's the opportunity to give back to the world instead of taking from the world, which I find to be both an honor and gratifying.

Without any prior knowledge or experience with therapy, it seems like a awkward or intimidating process. Questions you might be having when trying to decide if therapy is for you could be: 1. Why am I going to tell some stranger all my problems? 2. Is the therapist just going to keep asking me how I feel the whole time? 3. Will the therapist judge me? If you have ever had any of these questions, answers I would give you would be: Think of the therapist as a blank slate, an unbiased individual who is supportive and reassuring, but also provides accountability and feedback. My therapeutic style is conversational and collaborative so your "problems" become our "focus to find solutions". The therapist should function as a Jiminy Cricket of sorts, giving you feedback and guidance to help you make the best decisions for yourself and your life; although I may ask you how something feels when experiencing it, the focus is always more on solutions and being practical to resolve issues as a team.