My professional orientation is, primarily, Cognitive-Behavioral. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on cognition (thinking) and behavior (actions) and how they interact to produce a result (life). My approach is heavily influenced by the principles of Mindfullnes-Based Cognitive Behavioral Theory and Transpersonal Therapy.
When a client comes to counseling and is dissatisfied with aspects of his or her life, the counselor and client collaborate to establish goals. Through the dynamics of the therapeutic relationship, formed by the client and counselor, both can begin to deconstruct the client’s patterns of thinking and behavior that produce the resultant life.
By learning to identify core beliefs, perceptions and attitudes, the client has the opportunity to shine a bright light on his/her thinking and examine how perpetuation of those thoughts affects the quality of life. Through observation of the self, we learn that we have the capacity to choose the thoughts that we cultivate and nurture, we can begin to experience being the creators of our lives and move toward having more of what we want out of life. Rather than “fixing” the client, the counselor will assist the client in learning new skills that will be of benefit to the client in identifying and moving through obstacles to peace and fulfillment.
CBT is empirically based, meaning that it has been heavily researched and shown to be effective in treating a wide variety of problems including depression & anxiety, compulsive/addictive disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders and mood disorders. It has been demonstrated to be effective for both individuals and couples.
