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The terms
"psychotherapy" and "counseling" are
essentially different words for the same
practice. Some within the profession might
take exception to this but I tend to use
the two interchangeably. Clients sometimes
prefer "counseling" because the term
"psychotherapy" feels
intimidating.
Psychotherapy
means engaging with the human mind, soul
and heart to increase joy and decrease
suffering. Psychotherapy attends
to the vast
experience and expression that is any
human life. It addresses both the joy and
suffering of human experience.
Pyschotherapy is the art of human
relating. It is the safe realtionship that
is created in therapy that facilitates
human change. For more detailed
information on my practice of counseling
and psychotherapy please continue reading
below. Please click on the following link
for information on what
to expect in a counseling session.
I have a working
definition of psychotherapy: Giving people
a different experience of themselves in
relationship. Quality psychotherapy or
counseling is a process by which people
experience themselves in new ways and
develop skills for living more creatively
and adaptively. In this sense
psychotherapy is about cultivating
skillful living. Moreover, it is about
learning to stay present with oneself to
generate these skills internally. The
experience may be both painful and joyous
but it is the safe and respectful
experience of the counseling relationship
that encourages the transformations you
want in your life.
Over forty years
of research into the benefits of
counseling and psychotherapy has provided
two important conclusions. First,
psychotherapy works. Most people report
success and satisfaction with their
therapy experience. Second, it's clear why
psychotherapy works: It's the relationship
between client and therapist that's most
important in determining quality outcomes.
Furthermore, that's the evidence across
all problem areas (anger,
depression,
anxiety,
ADD/ADHD, etc.).
What cultivates
good client-therapist rapport?
Foundationally it is something called
core conditions. These conditions
include how the client experiences the
therapist. For example, does the
counseling relationship feel emotionally
safe? Can the client truly be her/himself?
Does the client experience respect and
unconditional acceptance from the
therapist? Research has repeatedly
demonstrated that these relationship
factors aren't just nice, they are crucial
to quality care. And most importantly,
these are always the client's
experience of the counseling relationship.
This requires therapists to actively
cultivate feedback from clients to ensure
the relationship is helpful.
Although I have
training in several psychotherapy
disciplines I primarily identify with two
traditions that are particularly
compatible. The first is the
Existential-Humanistic perspective. The
core counseling conditions outlined above
originated with this perspective. The
second is Zen Buddhism. I have been a
formal student of Zen Buddhism since 2002
but I have been interested in Buddhist
psychology since 1985. Both traditions
emphasize the importance of human
experience in the present
moment.
In our daily
life, with all its complexity, it's easy
to become detached from our core
experience and understanding of self.
Perhaps a traumatic life experience has
deepened this rift. My counseling method
attends to the client-therapist
relationship and to the client's internal
relationship with her/himself. The
cultivation of love and compassion
for self is structured and honed.
Authenticity is emphasized as I
continually refine that process within
myself and facilitate the same for my
client. Therapy is a shared experience
founded on deepening trust between
people.
Please feel free
to call me with any questions you have
about my counseling practice at
503-252-3739.
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