How I Work To Help You Achieve The Psychological
Well Being You Deserve
Who I Work With: Adults of any age
My Approach: Emotionally focused, depth oriented and integrating effective counseling, psychotherapy and coaching methods to help you rebound from long standing psychological distress and deal constructively with relationship problems.
My Style: I am primarily a ‘non-directive’ therapist and coach – supporting clients to build strength from the inside out. However, I will occasionally use directive skill building approaches, where appropriate.
Team Work: I work best with people who are attracted to team work and feel comfortable with – temporarily – relying on that bond to help them create the results that will make their lives, and relationships, as positive and fulfilling as possible. To that end, I generally don’t give advice or tell you what to do, but will support you to express your needs and feelings, and develop the confidence to take whatever action is needed to feel more in charge of your life.
Strength Based: I provide a supportive atmosphere in which you can express your thoughts and emotions freely while coming to more deeply understand yourself, your needs and any emotional road blocks you need to move past. Together we will help you build your strengths from the inside out, so you can feel happier and more fulfilled, have the healthy relationships you want, and manage life – and its challenges – more effectively.
Focused Sessions: During your first session we will discuss the challenges you are facing, what you want your life to look like, and set goals to help you achieve the positive results you are seeking. Your goals guide the therapy, serve as benchmarks and link one session to the next. In the early stages of counseling I typically meet with people a minimum of once per week to facilitate the progress you wish to make towards meeting your goals. You will be invited to reserve a regular weekly appointment for this purpose.
Results Oriented Counseling & Coaching: As I have a long term results oriented approach, I don’t work with people session by session, but rather weekly until you have achieved your goals. How quickly you achieve your goals will depend on the amount of effort you put into the counseling process, the depth of the difficulties you are dealing with, how long these challenges have been going on and your individual coping style. Many people can achieve their goals within a few months of weekly sessions. Once you start to feel you are making solid progress towards achieving your goals, you may choose to meet less frequently to help you maintain your gains.
Here’s how we’ll work together to get your life moving in the direction you want:
- First, we will identify and clarify the personal, emotional or relationship challenges you are currently facing
- Second, we will figure out what you want your life to look like, so you can feel more satisfied and at peace
- Third, we will determine your counseling goals – the results you want to see happen to help you achieve the psychological well being you are seeking
- Finally, we will work together regularly – usually weekly – until you achieve your goals
Ongoing Sessions: Sessions focus on deepening self understanding, managing emotions effectively and problem solving – all in the service of feeling happier and more in control of your life. Counseling and Coaching are processes where gains occur over time, and strengths are built from the inside out.
You may feel uncomfortable at times in therapy as you are supported to stretch and grow to meet your needs. A helpful way to think about this is that therapy, like life, is more of a marathon than a sprint. As you build your psychological ‘muscles’, you may feel ‘sore’ at times. This is a sign that emotional growth is occurring. The discomfort will resolve as you begin to trust what you are learning about yourself – and your needs – more, and take positive action that links your growing insights to your daily life.
You will benefit most if you take a proactive approach to therapy by thinking ahead about what goals to focus on in each session, and how one session connects to the next. To that end, I may recommend ‘homework’ activities to strengthen your gains and help you move forward faster.
Counseling and Psychotherapy Services Available by Video World Wide
Research consistently shows that the most effective counseling experience is based on a positive relationship between counselor and client, and effective techniques. My counseling approach has been described as collaborative, friendly and down to earth. I draw from a variety of evidence based therapeutic methods to help you feel your best in the shortest time possible. I approach counseling holistically, meaning that a healthy mind is supported by a healthy body and lifestyle habits. So physical health care strategies are sometimes incorporated into the counseling.
The key features of my counseling approach include:
Customized Counseling: As every person or situation is unique, I take a ‘tailor made’ approach to each individual client or couple, based on particular concerns, problems, needs, and personality.
Integrative Counseling Style: One size definitely doesn’t fit all. My work has its roots in the following evidence based methods:
- Schema Therapy: Targets overcoming conscious and unconscious negative beliefs in order to produce positive cognitive, emotional, relationship and behavioral change. Very effective for life long challenges such as anxiety, trauma, low self worth, depression and relationship difficulties.
- Developmental Model and Attachment Theory of Healthy Relationships: assists individuals and couples to understand and navigate adult developmental stages, and foster secure attachment styles.
- Experiential Dynamic Therapy: focuses on gaining insight into the influence of past events on present emotions and behavior, and experiencing repressed feelings in the present, so you can overcome stress and make more beneficial, conscious choices in dealing with problems. Helpful in resolving repetitive patterns of emotional distress, negative thoughts and behaviors, and difficult relationships.
- Cognitive-Behavioural: supports the development of rational thinking and reality-based belief systems that can help you overcome chronic grief, anxiety, depression, trauma and addictive thinking.
- Solution-Focused: will help you identify and build on your strengths, and develop a ‘vision’ for your life to help you create the fulfilling recovery you desire.
- Narrative: helps you define and assume ownership of your recovery, so you can begin a new ‘chapter’ in life.
- Family Systems: looks at family relationships and roles so you can better understand family interactions and make healthier choices relating to your immediate relatives, partner, children or extended family members.
- Hypnosis: as a Certified Counseling Hypnotherapist I can guide you through a relaxing and powerful technique that will help you tap into the power of your subconscious to achieve the positive results you seek, such as anxiety reduction, increased self confidence, and trauma recovery. You are in charge the whole time.
- Guided Visualization: helps calm the central nervous system, which is integral in reducing anxiety, symptoms of trauma and addiction recovery. Guided relaxation and abdominal breathing are some of the approaches I use to facilitate this process.
Results-Oriented: Whether you are new to counseling or have undergone counseling before, most people can recover and feel more whole, optimistic and resilient about life. You should start to feel better soon after you begin counseling – usually within about 2 to 3 months of weekly sessions. Although every individual is unique, many people report positive results during or immediately after the first session.