My Therapeutic Approach

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I practice Strength-Based Therapy focusing on my client's internal strengths and resourcefulness, less on weaknesses, failures, and shortcomings. Creating a positive mindset that helps to build on your best qualities, find your strengths, improve resilience and your worldview to one that is more positive. A positive attitude, in turn, can help your expectations of yourself and others become more reasonable.

I provide Culturally Sensitive Therapy emphasizing my understanding my client's unique background, ethnicity, sexual orientation, spiritual values, practices and belief systems while incorporating a culturally informed approach to accommodate differences in opinions, values, and attitudes of various types of people and experiences.

My Person-Centered approach consists of a non-authoritative perspective that allows clients to take the lead of discussions enabling them to discover their own solutions. As a compassionate facilitator I focus on listening without judgment while acknowledging the client's experience recognizing their individual strengths and resources. I encourage and support the client by guiding the therapeutic process without interrupting or interfering with their process of self-discovery.

I provide Spiritual direction by assisting my clients to engage in their process of growing and developing a deeper understanding of, connection to, and relationship with others and a power greater than themselves. Spirituality assist us in the process of coping with change and uncertainty. Spirituality allows us to recognize that our role in life has a greater value than our daily actions. It can provide us with relief from our dependence on material things helping us to better understand our life's greater purpose. 

I utilize a Cognitive-Behavioral therapeutic approach to assist my clients in identify and exploring the role of how their thoughts influence both their behaviors and feelings and how they impact what we do. Based on the belief that thoughts, rather than people or events, cause our negative feelings, I guide my clients through their process of identifying, testing the reality of and modifying dysfunctional beliefs underlying his or her thinking.  

I work closely with my clients to guide them through a holistic process to heal and grow personally, physically, spiritually and vocationally. While working to become their best selves, I encourage and counsel my clients in identifying areas of need and assist them in setting SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time specific) and creating a plan of action to see their goals to fruition.

I assist my clients to envision a desirable future and map out the changes necessary to realize their vision. This is accomplished by capitalizing on their past successes and encouraging them to build on their strengths rather than dwell on their problems or limitations.

I utilize Humanistic Therapy techniques to emphasize the importance of being your true self in order to lead the most fulfilling life by helping my clients become more self-aware and accepting of themselves. In contrast to psychoanalysis, I focus on conscious rather than unconscious thoughts. It's based on the principle that everyone has their own unique way of looking at the world. 

I utilize Motivational Interviewing to help my clients resolve ambivalent feelings and insecurities to move through the emotional stages of change necessary to find their motivation. MI is a practical, empathetic and short-term process that takes into consideration how difficult it is to make life changes. MI motivates my clients to alter the behaviors that are preventing them from making healthier choices. Although my clients may be ready to commit to change, MI can assist them to take the actions necessary to do so.

Life often presents us with situations that are overwhelming and uncomfortable. I introduce MBCT techniques to my clients allowing them to navigate the process of purposely bringing their attention to experiences occurring in the moment, without judgement, by developing a practice of awareness and meditation. Practicing Mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other tools to relax the body and mind, helping to reduce anxiety and stress. Mindfulness is a quality that every human being already possesses and I work with my clients to learn how to access and implement these skills.