It is my belief that

 

everyone has the knowledge of how to solve their problems somewhere inside of them. However, people often get stuck in doing behaviors or looking at relationships in a fixed fashion. This is why I like the job title "change agent" to describe what I do. One of the tools I use, Solution Focused Therapy, allows me to help my clients spend more of our time on the answers rather than on the problems.

 

The past is an important part of understanding the events which took place that has led someone to seek help. I work to assist people to understand how the choices they have made have contributed to their current circumstances. It is also vital for both myself and my clients to be able to clearly define the issues and agree on how the client's life will be different when we are done.

 

Very few of the reasons that cause people to seek help from a therapist happen in isolation. By viewing the larger system it is possible to treat the cause rather than just the symptom.

 

I ask clients to become my co-therapists. Together we jointly work to find a path to solutions. I typically meet with each client weekly or bi-weekly. Many clients find it helpful to have some task to work on that helps move them towards their goals.