Life shouldn't have to be so hard. Too often, folks struggle through each day barely keeping their heads above the proverbial waterline. If you're one of those people or one of those families, you're so busy just trying to survive that there's little time left for pursuing things that bring you joy and personal growth or fulfillment in your life. You may even wonder "what is the point" of pushing on when you feel so exhausted and frustrated. That's when I step in. I can throw a "lifeline" in after you to pull you closer to shore... or at least to where your feet can touch the bottom again so that you can catch your breath.
You may find that what seemed like insurmountable obstacles in your path while you were in crisis turn out to be quite manageable stepping stones when reexamined with the aid of a trained professional. I'll help you map a path towards achieving your personal goals. I'm not one of those "out there" psychologists who uses new-age techniques that jar the sensibilities. I'm a pretty straight forward person who tells you upfront where things are breaking down for you. I want to help you find your way FASTER within a compassionate, caring, honest, and safe environment.
As a Humanistic Psychologist, I draw heavily from many schools of psychology in order to tailor your treatment to your individual needs. However, I do hold some core beliefs that guide my interactions with you:
- In a nutshell, I empower you to CHOOSE your own pro-social path, but that path must be consistent with your values or you will find yourself fighting emptiness, isolation, and despair.
- I help identify unhealthy dynamics, interpersonally and intrapersonally, that keep you from forming healthy connections to others;
- Sometimes that means I have to help you reframe cognitive errors that prevent you from reaching your full potential spiritually, emotionally, physically, and educationally.
- When you feel powerless, you lose your sense of worth, dignity, interpersonal connection, resilience, and ultimately your control.
- Self-awareness, maturity, freedom, and responsibility are all attainable but along with these come taking responsibility for your own actions.
- With Freedom to Choose comes fear (anxiety) of making the wrong choice. Change can be uncomfortable.
- Surrendering control of your life may feel more "secure" but it also can cause feelings of guilt, failure, and clingy dependence.
- Rebelling against others who have more power than you is NOT freedom but rather defiance; rebellion is not mature but is a rigid, primitive reflex.
- To be truly free, you must choose right for the sake of choosing right and you must own the choices you make. Sure, challenges will arise but use those as a means of growing.
- Current behavior is related to past experiences, and as such, its origin needs to be understood in order to modify current actions.
- The word "fair" serves no purpose in relationships-rather, it serves as the spoon that keeps the pot stirred up!
- In order to fully cope with your past and present, you must drop defense mechanisms; these mechanisms may have been useful in the past but they have outlived their usefulness now.