It’s never too late to revise…
…to start writing a better story for your life…
…to be what you might have been.
Providing individual, couples and family counseling.
Areas of treatment include:
- Therapy for Depression and Anxiety
- Premarital Counseling
- Couple’s Counseling
- Sexual and Other Addictions Therapy
- Trauma Therapy with EMDR
- Family Counseling
- Spiritual Abuse Counseling
Spiritually sensitive psychotherapy
I am trained in mental health care and diagnosis as well as family systems therapy. I am also trained in spiritual care. As a result, I have a holistic view of an individual, couple or family. The emotional life, relational life, thought life, spiritual life, and experiences of the body are all entwined. They can be distinguished but they cannot be separated. The internal world has an effect on the body. And the experiences of the body have an effect on the internal world. Psychology and spirituality are both significant elements of the internal world. My view of therapy and counseling, therefore, might be termed Soul Care, or care for the whole person.
Research has shown that “Incorporating spiritual perspectives in secular treatments has been found to improve the outcomes for religiously oriented clients” (William R. Miller and Carl E. Thorensen, Integrating Spirituality into Treatment, p. 14). More than 90% of American people believe in God. Perhaps you are one of them. But did you know that, according to Stanton Jones (1996), only about 50% of psychologists and psychiatrists do. I seek to provide care that better reflects the values of my clients and that approaches their questions of emotional and spiritual issues in a holistic way.
Elements that are important in counseling
We humans are amazingly complex and it’s impossible to set up any type of cookie cutter approach that could work for everyone. But there are a number of common elements that can have an impact on the outcome of therapy:
- The person of the therapist: research shows that the single greatest contributor to the outcome of your therapy experience across therapy approaches is the person of the therapist. This refers not to techniques but to the qualities of empathy, genuineness, and care the therapist brings into the room.
- The quality of the therapeutic relationship: I seek to establish a therapeutic relationship that is caring and respectful, collaborative and helpful. The healthy therapeutic relationship is itself healing.
- Spiritual awareness and sensitivity of the therapist: As noted above, integrating spiritual elements into therapy improves the outcomes for clients who are religiously oriented.
- Therapeutic techniques: One of the smallest contributors to helping you as a client are specific techniques. Are techniques helpful? Sure. But don’t look for a magic wand (technique) that will make everything better.
- The person of the client: Some people are ready for therapy. Some are less so. How do you know if you’re ready for therapy? If you’re motivated enough to get started, then you’re probably ready.
EMDR treatment for people living with all forms of trauma
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) is an innovative and comprehensive treatment for PTSD and a variety of related mental health conditions. For more detailed information about EMDR, please visit www.emdr.org. There, you will find information about how EMDR was developed and research regarding EMDR effectiveness.