Frequently Asked Questions
What is Wellness, or Mental Health?
What therapeutic / counseling models do you use?
What are some of the techniques you have studied, trained, and utilize?
How long does therapy take?
What initial commitment is required?
What about Group Therapy?
Do you accept insurance payments?
What are your payment policies?
What is Wellness, or Mental Health?
- The ability to Feel and Deal with all sensations, emotions, thoughts, behaviors, & relationships
- The ability to Know and Be Oneself and Stay in Connection with others
- The ability to be Mindful, Heartful, Embodied, and Successfully Engaged with the world
- Balance between inner and outer life
- Balance of Being, Doing, Meaning, and Relationship
- Healthy self care, ability to negotiate needs and wants in meaningful relationship, skillfulness of action in the world, and a personal narrative/identity that is useful and satisfying
Models I Use:
I use a variety of therapeutic models depending on your personal circumstances and goals, and the way you process information and make sense of your world.
1. DEVELOPMENTAL:
We all go thru natural stages and progressions in life. This means two main things for our work together:
1) Your current life stage and personal transitions strongly influences what will matter to you at this time.
2) The experiences we had in our early childhood stages form deep and powerful neuro-emotional blueprints for the rest of our life.
IF the attitudes, beliefs and coping mechanisms developed at that time no longer serve you, or block you from creating what you want now, THEN the traumas and repetitive emotional experiencing of our early years need to be addressed and resolved.
2. BODY-INTEGRATIVE:
It is only by being as fully present in our bodies that we can be emotionally aware and skillful. It is only by being emotionally aware and skillful that we can truly know what we want, be truly present in relationship, and act successfully in the world. To live your life fully, you must be at home with yourself in your body.
3. TRAUMA:
There are major traumas in life that lead to conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress, and many little developmental traumas of omission and commission that shape who we become. Underneath all addictions, "character disorders" etc, there is trauma of some sort.
4. PSYCHODRAMA:
In some ways, we are the sum total of the various Roles (combined feelings, attitudes, and skill sets) that we have access to. In psychodrama we can re-experience and change at the emotional level that which has happened to us; and/or rehearse that which we wish to enact in our life. Because the action of psychodrama goes beyond "just talking about", actual changes are much more likely in our neural/behavioral systems.
5. SUBPERSONALITY:
Everyone has "parts" as in part of me wants this and part of me doesn't. Transactional Analysis makes useful distinctions between Parent, Adult, and Child parts. We all have an inner Critic or Judge, and many other parts. For effective living, one must know, balance, and be the "central executive" for all the parts of oneself.
6. WHOLISTIC:
We are body, mind, and spirit. We are psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, relational beings. Understandings and skills from all these approaches contribute to healing and personal growth.
What are some of the techniques you have studied, trained, and utilize?
- Psychodrama
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing EMDR
- Energy Psychology such as Thought Field Therapy or Emotional Freedom Technique, for trauma recovery, emotional processing, creating your future etc.
- Hypnotherapy for subpersonality work, relaxation, habit change, reinforcing insights and decisions
- Jin Shin Do acupresssure, Qi Gong and other energy techniques for psycho-energetic processing and balancing
- Meditation / Visualization. Developmental Stage work
How long does therapy take?
It depends on your goals, and your “condition”. Sometimes a few sessions to help you thru a rough spot may be all you want and need. However, if you want to really change your feelings about yourself and the world and how your world is treating you, you will need a much longer and deeper commitment. The development of a deep therapeutic relationship and the process of deep level change takes many months if not years.
What initial commitment is required?
It takes a minimum of three sessions to get a good feel for each other, to decide whether we are a good therapeutic match, learn your basic background and history, and set initial goals for our work together. Sessions are normally once a week and are scheduled for 50 minutes. From time to time we will review to see if we are on track, if your goals have been met, or if your goals have changed.
When it is time to finish your therapeutic work, the process of leaving is also important.
What about Group Therapy?
Group is highly effective for most people, and would be decided upon mutually. It is of course beneficial to do both group work and individual work, depending on your personal situation.
There is a minimum time commitment of three months to group, and also a structured check out process.
Do you accept insurance for payment?
If you wish to use insurance, I will give you receipts, but it is up to you to deal with your insurance company.
What are your payment policies?
Payment is due after each session, by cash or check. Group payment is by the month.
If full fee is a hardship, a limited number of adjusted fee arrangements are available. This is individually negotiated and is based on income and circumstances. Please feel free to discuss this with me.