Counseling Services
Individual Counseling
Successful individual counseling begins with the development of a confidential, trusting relationship. Your therapist will spend as much time as necessary to learn about your perspective and beliefs regarding the issues that bring you to counseling. Based on information gathered during this assessment, you and your therapist will establish goals for the counseling process. This will allow you to recognize and track your progress. Goals for therapy often include identifying more effective coping strategies for stress, developing more self-compassion and practicing new behaviors.
Couples/Marital Counseling
The decision to initiate couples counseling demonstrates the partners’ commitment to the health of the relationship. Couples counseling starts with an initial commitment and supports each individual’s efforts to communicate and gain a better understanding of one another. Couples counseling is a safe place to explore areas where you and your partner tend to have conflict. Working with a therapist while exploring these issues can change entrenched patterns of communication and facilitate growth for the individuals as well as the couple. Valuable skills are developed as a results of focusing on the following goals:
- Effective communication strategies
- Learning to take personal responsibility in the relationship
- Successful negotiation of conflict
- Utilizing successes to address unresolved areas of concern
- Nurturing attachment, intimacy and connection
The healthy skills that are refined can be utilized to address specific issues. While partners may initiate couples counseling to resolve a particular issue, the knowledge gained has lifelong benefits and will continue to service the relationship far into the future.
Child and Adolescent Therapy
Working with children and adolescents is a specialty. We have several clinicians who have training and experience with this specific population. As parents/guardians you will be included in your child’s treatment from the beginning. Our therapists will conduct an assessment – either with the parents alone or with the parents and child, depending on the age of the child and the circumstances of the referral. The clinician will give you feedback about their initial recommendations and it is up to you to decide if you feel comfortable with that plan. After beginning therapy, your child’s therapist will keep you informed about treatment plan goals, progress and suggestions for how you can support your child. Therapy with children tends to be active – utilizing toys, puppets, games, books, art and other activities. This helps children communicate without being pressured to “talk”. We have many resources available in our clinic and our clinicians are creative and skilled. Each uses a variety of techniques including play therapy, sand tray therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Art Therapy.
