In my opinion counseling sessions are a very specific and work best when they are tailor made to each person or couple. Though many of the symptoms: depression, anxiety, panic, anger, are similar; how they develop and impact each person can be very different. Whether working with adults, adolescents, or children I strive to listen and understand the entire situation, including past experiences and how they possibly relate to current actions or attitudes. Then, after identifying areas of need in a clients life, I work to implement an evidence based practice (i.e. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing, Solution Focused Therapy) that works well with each client. With this approach, I help to meet each client where they are in their life, help to process, teach new skills, and new coping mechanisms. This allows each client the ability to show growth within the issues they are struggling with and take charge of their own life.
When working with couples many of these same principles remain true; however, communication is the first barrier that must be addressed. My approach with couples stems from the work of Dr. Gary Chapman and Dr. John Gottman, working to help build trust, commitment, and increase healthy communication. Once initial boundaries and goals have been set, continued work is done to help address, correct, and understand past/current actions. This helps identify the framework for which issues arise and together, new effective strategies can be implemented.
