Seattle psychotherapy   Anxiety   Depression
 
 
2915 East Madison, Suite 208, Seattle, WA 98112 ... (206) 323-2090
 

 

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Seattle counselingWelcome!
I hope this website can help you in your search for a therapist. It provides answers to some questions you might have about psychotherapy and gives you information about me and how I work.


About Therapy

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."
—Marcel Proust

Marcel Proust was a great novelist, not a therapist, but his words capture much of what I believe therapy can offer people: new eyes for seeing oneself and others more clearly. Many of the problems that people bring to therapy are in areas where their viewpoint has become restricted; they can only see things one way. Much of my work is to help people to identify and change old ways of thinking that have become rigid or don’t take into account new information. I strive to help people open to new possibilities, new ways of seeing…. “having new eyes.”

I strongly believe in people’s ability to continue to change and grow throughout their lives. Therapy provides a unique opportunity for you to focus on your deepest concerns. It provides you with time and the tools to see your concerns and yourself more clearly. As therapy enables you to confront what troubles you, often the behavior and ways of thinking that you want to change become clear.

CONFUSION OVER THE TERMS “COUNSELOR” AND “PSYCHOTHERAPIST”
Some people feel confused about the difference between counseling and psychotherapy. Webster’s dictionary defines counseling as providing “advice or consultation”, and psychotherapy as the “treatment of emotional or mental disorders by psychological means." In practice, these terms are often used interchangeably to describe similar services and practititioners. I am comfortable with my work being called either counseling or psychotherapy. As you choose a counselor or therapist what I want people to know about me has to do with the way I relate to my clients and view our work together. I hope as you read further you will find the information you need.

WHO ARE MY CLIENTS?
My clientele includes both men and women, and I welcome diversity both in ethnic background and sexual orientation. I work with adults, both individual and couples struggling with the following concerns: (For additional thoughts on anxiety, depression, relationship issues and loss, please see my articles).

  • Depression – We now know so much more about depression and how to overcome it. I work with clients who struggle with depression to understand what depression is and how it may be impacting their life. Then we work together to find the best strategies that will work for them to overcome their depression.
  • Anxiety – Anxiety can be so painful and disruptive to people’s lives. It may come up for people in a variety of ways. My main goal with clients is to understand their particular patterns of anxiety, and to help them find ways to face their fears so that they feel they have more control and choice in their lives.
  • Relationship problems – Relationship problems are the primary concern for some of my individual clients as well as for the couples who seek counseling help. My article on Relationship issues gives a pretty clear idea of how I work with this concern.
  • Coping with Illness, disability, loss or grief – I have seen a number of people who are adjusting to a diagnosis of cancer or some other illness and are struggling to find how to live with their “new normal”. I have also worked with people who are friends or relatives of someone with an illness or disability. These people are often struggling with their own feelings of fear and loss, and at the same time are trying to know how to best provide support to their loved one. Other losses that some of my clients are dealing with is the loss of a job, which can have a devastating effect on a person’s sense of competence and self esteem. In all of these situations I find that much of my work is helping people understand that their feelings and reactions are normal, and giving them information so they have reasonable expectations for themselves as they come to terms with their situations. I also know that in grieving loss, having a safe place to sort out and express painful feelings is critically important.
  • Life transitions – some of my clients come to counseling for one reason, but as we talk, it becomes evident that they are finding their life a struggle. They need help to think about what is most meaningful and important in their life, and what they need to do to make room for what they most value in their daily routines. With these people, I try to use my skills at listening to help them to better hear themselves. As with many clients, they often find that what they feel in their heart and what they are saying to themselves in their mind are in conflict. Our work is to resolve that conflict in some way.

 

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