3. My job is not to psychoanalyze you.
My job is to be curious and to help you gain more understanding. A good therapist doesn’t claim
to have all the answers for why you are the way you are although we may have some ideas that
we will willingly share with you. When it comes to getting answers and more understanding, we
will form hypotheses together and you will come to your own conclusions. A therapist facilitates
that process. They don’t tell you how to think/believe/act.
4. I’m not here to give you advice.
I’m here to share my knowledge with you and help you make your own decisions that are
balanced, rational, and well-explored. Strengthening your own reasoning and decision-making
skills will increase your independence and self-esteem. Win-win!
5. Work through your emotions with me instead of quitting, anger included.
Therapy is the perfect place to learn how to express your feelings. That’s what I’m here for, to
give you a space to try out new ways of being, thinking, and feeling. Take advantage of this.
When we learn how to work through our negative emotions with others, it increases our
relationship skills and makes us more comfortable with voicing our hurts. This is a necessary
component to maintaining relationships and managing your emotions in a healthy way.
6. I expect you to slide backward to old behavior patterns and I’m not here to judge you.
Most people judge themselves enough for at least two people. I encourage my clients to come
clean. It’s only through acknowledging our steps backward that we can figure out what’s
standing in the way so that you can catapult forward. Relapse is VERY common and it’s nothing
to be ashamed of.
7. You deserve to be happy.
Happiness is not reserved for special people. Everyone has regrets, things we wish we never
would have done, people we’ve hurt along the way, people who have hurt us either intentionally
or unintentionally. I’m a firm believer that we can heal our wounds and step into happiness. You
deserve it just as much as the next person.
8. I can’t “fix” your life or your problems. Only you can.
I can help you gain more clarity, more understanding, and form a plan of action, but therapy is
not a magic pill that erases all issues. It takes work, but if you’re up for the challenge, I’ll be
there every step of the way!
9. The quickest way from point A to point B is action.
If you continue to come to therapy without putting any new behaviors or thoughts into action,
progress will be a slow process for you. The path to action is different for everyone, but if you