My View of Psychotherapy:

I see the purpose of psychotherapy as being a place for reflection, contemplation, and intentional problem solving. Whether it be to address general distress all of us may face due to life's inherent stressors, or something related to a more specific mental health issue, psychotherapy can be a safe space for you to gain insight, understanding, and awareness of how to live the life you want for yourself. Whether it's psychotherapy or some other avenue of support that's meaningful for you, seeking that out can take tremendous courage and provide huge payoffs.

When thinking about counseling or therapy, the idea of change ​often comes to mind.  In my experience, change often requires a few things:

• An understanding of where you want to go
• An understanding of where you are and where you started from
• Work
• Courage

Therapy should offer exploration into these understandings, as well as guidance and partnership in the work to be done.  It requires courage to look honestly at yourself, to see yourself in different ways, with a new lens.  People I work with often say to themselves, “I never thought of it like that before,” which seems to mean they are developing a new understanding or constructing new meaning from familiar sources.  Here is where change begins.