My Approach to Helping
I have a sincere passion for helping people who are struggling with the pressures and complexities of life. My work is guided by the philosophy that within every individual lies the capability to overcome whatever obstacles they may be facing. My job is to help you identify those strengths and capabilities in order to overcome your personal hurdles. I believe in exploring the past in order to help you understand how your early experiences in life helped shape who you are today. Once we have an understanding of how you arrived at this point in your life, we can begin working on changing your direction. I work to foster an environment of comfort and collaboration for my clients and one in which they feel confident in sharing their most personal thoughts and feelings. Finally, I will work with you to set realistic and tangible goals that we will regularly review together in order to track your ongoing progress.
My Role as a Therapist
I operate under the business name Compass Marriage and Family Therapy. I chose this name because I liken my work to that of a compass, an instrument that guides you, shows the way or may provide a new direction when one is lost. I see my role as a therapist as one similar to a guide or compass you might use on a trip. I can help you see new paths and help you determine what sorts of journeys or adventures you want to take. But a compass can only point out a different direction?ultimately you are the one who has to walk down that path. I am honored and humbled every time one of my clients allows me to travel with them down their path.
The Duration and Frequency of Therapy
Duration and frequency are often on the minds of new clients and something I always cover in my initial free consultation. My general philosophy regarding how long we'll be meeting is this: First and foremost, I do NOT want you sitting on my couch for the rest of your life (although it is a pretty comfy spot!). We work together to put together a treatment plan that includes achievable, measurable goals so we both have a clear understanding of when terminating therapy makes sense. The duration of therapy depends upon the intensity of the issues as well as the frequency with which we meet. Typically, I like to see clients weekly throughout the intake process which is usually 5-7 sessions long. Once I have a good understanding of who you are and what goals we're working toward, many clients will step down to meeting every other week. It is rare that I see a client for more than 1 year with a typical duration lasting between 6-9 months. Once I've ended regular treatment with a client we talk about future visits and I consider those to be like the tune ups you might get for your car. You're generally doing pretty well and occasionally might want to come in to fine tune some things or deal with some immediate bumps in the road.
