I believe in abiding in deep authenticity. In the face of death, what matters most!? I believe that we are all here to be ourselves- to explore, to make meaning, to come alive. No one has the answers, but in counseling, we can journey together and see what we can find.
I operate with the understanding that there is a deep interconnectedness between all things. We are systems, live in systems, and interact with systems. We cannot understand a person and their experiences without developing at least some understanding about the systems in which they operate. I am not concerned with the paradox of subjective truth and it’s relationship to consensus reality. Everything is both true and false- depending on context.
How can we know ourselves without experiencing the other? I have found that, in all aspect of my work, the relationship is key to everything. If any change is going to happen, people must feel seen, understood, and cared for. I view my job as being to earn people’s trust by demonstrating a commitment to their well-being and their goals. This does not mean we will be without rupture or pushback. But those can only be therapeutic when we share and alliance. I will provide counsel.
Life can be hard and messy. I take as an assumption that people come to me with myriad of experiences of pain, overwhelm, and fear. My goal is to “do less harm.” I will be as transparent as possible. I will empower you to choose what is best for you. I will be open to your feedback about your experience and your experience of me.
I ascribe to the belief that the “client is the expert on their life.” You know what you know. You may even know what you don’t know. I view therapy as a co-journeying in learning about you and your experience. I view my role as counselor as being to join with as we both learn about your life, what you want, and how to get there. I will draw upon my own training and experience to do by best to guide the process. At the end of the day- it’s your life to live. I ask people to take my contributions with skepticism and to “test it out for yourself.” Nothing I have to contribute is valuable unless it works for you