Therapy comes from the Latin word for “healing.” When relationships rupture – be it with ourselves or others — our vitality and connection to life often diminish. You don’t need a tragedy or diagnosis to need support. However, it can be frightening, even humbling, to seek help. In our work, I want you to experience:
An Empathic Listener. That means someone who will listen to you without judgment or constraint, someone who wants to relate to you with unconditional regard and respect.
Trust. I cannot presume to know you or your difficulties without establishing your trust. Together, as confidence in our relationship grows, we can discover whatever conflicts or issues you want to address.
Client-centered treatment. I believe you to be the expert and authority of your life choices. One of my most important jobs is to listen for what stands between you and what you want in life, and guide you as you adjust in meaningful ways.
Psychotherapy, really?
Yes, really. Therapy often gets a bad rap. Perhaps the most unfortunate reason some people decline psychotherapeutic help is due to stigma.
Considering that 20-25% of the population will suffer with mental illness at some point in their life, I stand for therapy. A 2017 study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, suggests that, over time, the percentage of those who develop mental illness jumps to nearly 80%, mostly before middle age. Mental illness appears more prominently than diabetes, heart disease or cancer, conditions, for which clients routinely seek professional help.
The good news is that an APA study found that 50% of Americans believe the stigma associated with therapy has decreased, which may be one reason for a rise in numbers of those getting therapy. The better news is, that therapy seems to work. According to Psychology Today study: “A large majority (80%) of those with a history of either therapy or medication use report that their treatment was effective.”
