Therapeutic Philosophy

I believe that therapy should be compassionate and client-centered, but I also feel that it should be focused and finite. As a therapist, I work with clients to find specific and/or measurable outcomes they wish to achieve, and then collaboratively work with them to get there. My goals as a therapist are to help clients achieve their aims, and to have as many warm goodbyes as I can. I’m a big believer that therapy can help people tremendously, but I also appreciate that it takes time and can be expensive, and I want my clients to feel like they’re getting their money’s worth and then some.

One of the most surprising aspects of my work as a therapist is how many clients I’ve met over the years who’ve worked with a therapist for a very long period of time (often seven or ten or more years) and feel frustrated that they don’t have much to show for it. I work very hard to avoid this with my clients. Research generally indicates that measurable change should start to happen in the first six to ten sessions at most (and my experience is that it should generally happen in three or less). Even if therapy doesn’t feel finished after the first dozen sessions or so, there should be no doubt at that point that change has at least started, and if there isn’t, finding a new approach, and maybe a new therapist, needs to be seriously considered.

Among my clients, my goal is to have them feeling enthused about therapy and confident it can help them by no later than the end of the third session. If they don’t, we can decide if we need more time to evaluate our work, or we can discuss other next steps (even if those steps are not with me) that will get them where they want to go.

All that said, sometimes therapy involves talking about intensely difficult and personal topics, and that can take time. I’m always glad to meet clients where they’re at emotionally and build the trust they need. As your therapist, I’m on your schedule, not mine.

Also, I understand that sometimes goals change, or sometimes therapy uncovers new goals clients didn’t even realize they had. That’s great! But when we decide to shift focus or objectives, we’ll do so mindfully and purposefully, and will continue to monitor our progress accordingly.