Different clients bring out different ways I may work with them, based both on their presenting issue as well as their personality style; growth and healing do not come about through a blanket approach. Each client brings his or her own experiences that shape how the treatment will go. That being said, I do find that it is the relationship between myself and the client that is the fundamental vehicle that brings about a lasting transformation and well-being in the client.
While I will hold the presenting issue in my mind, I also notice and may work with how clients are in the room with me, examine past relationships and wounds, and explore what their therapy goals are. Perhaps above all else, I value meeting my clients where they are, toward helping them live the life they want by experiencing more of who they truly are. I see our essence and vitality, paradoxically, as being locked up inside the very thing we most often find ourselves avoiding or shaming in ourselves. It can be counter-intuitive, as well as kind of scary, to do this alone. My job is to go there with you, to lend support, expertise and care in this process of reclaiming more and more of yourself, and as a result feeling more free and satisfied in meeting your day to day life and relationships at large.
Based on my client’s particular needs, I may bring in body awareness, mindfulness, or explore my client’s early interactions with primary caregivers. The key to a successful outcome in therapy is the relationship that forms between client and therapist. Just as our emotional wounds and symptoms of disconnection were primarily created in relationship, so it goes with working through and healing them. What happens in those 50 minutes is unique and often reflects the client’s experience in the real world.
Finally, I bring a warm, authentic and non-judgmental curiosity to my work with clients. Sometimes I may offer observations or insights. Above all else, I want to support clients in experiencing whatever is present at the moment, trusting deeply that it is the very thing that needs to be explored, and is thus the key to increased awareness, insight, and enjoyment of life.