Therapeutic Approaches

These are some of the many therapeutic methods I use in sessions. Although the following terms sound quite clinical and belong to classical psychological frameworks, they are followed by descriptions that I hope will give you an understanding of what the approach means one-on-one.

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Cognitive Therapy: What we think and say to ourselves (the cognitive side of things) and out loud has a strong influence on what we feel and eventually how we act or behave.

Gestalt Imagery: Gestalt is an approach that focuses on individual parts as they relate to a whole picture. An example would be, if you’re teaching someone basketball you break the game into individual skills while also allowing the student to play the whole game to understand how the skills work to form a successful game. The same concept works in Gestalt therapy. We often have parts of ourselves that we do not like, for example anger or sadness. Gestalt therapy helps a person identify the part of him or herself that is causing the emotional upset and reframe it or work to change it within their lives.

Guided Imagery: I may ask a person to imagine and describe an image. Sometimes an image is very negative. I may talk them to a new place where the visual imagery is much more positive. Many times clients are stuck thinking a certain way, often negatively, and need a visual guide to redirect their own thinking.

Hypnosis: Hypnosis is a natural, focused state of attention in which a person becomes more aware of internal experiences such as thoughts, sensations, memories, and emotions. In this state, individuals are typically deeply relaxed yet alert, allowing them to engage with therapeutic suggestions more openly and intentionally. Contrary to common myths, hypnosis does not involve loss of control or unconsciousness; rather, clients remain fully aware and able to choose how they respond. In psychological practice, hypnosis is used as a collaborative tool to help clients access inner resources, reduce distress, change unhelpful patterns, and support therapeutic goals such as managing anxiety, pain, habits, or trauma. Learn more about how Hypnosis can help.

Listening/Feedback: I listen carefully to clients and often repeat a person’s words for them to hear what they have said. When you learn to listen to yourself and follow what you hear, your life decisions can change direction.

Teaching: All recordings are made only with the client’s explicit permission. I may record hypnosis sessions and, upon the client’s request, provide a copy via email for personal use outside of sessions. Clients often find these recordings highly beneficial. All recordings are treated as strictly confidential. A copy is retained for record-keeping purposes only, as clients may occasionally misplace their original recording.

Couples/Relationships/Communication: I assist and coach couples to listen to themselves and to each other. Oftentimes we hear our internal stories without listening to our partner. I use a step-by-step system of active listening and feedback that helps people understand the difference between their own story and what their partner is saying. Active listening helps people become more clear about themselves and their partner within the relationship. The goal is for people to clarify what they need to do differently to improve communication in the relationship.

Redecision through Reframing (Neuro-Linguistic Programming): This technique helps a person find the positive intention or reason for their behavior. I ask a series of questions that guides the person to their inner thoughts. Once they learn what they want I help them discover how they might achieve those goals. “Change the way we look at things and the things we look at will change,” (Wayne Dyer, The Power of Intention, 2004 Hay House).

Available Technology (CD or Video Recordings)
I have an in-office audio and video recording system for the purpose of documenting sessions to enable the client to have immediate recall and access. The sessions can be video-taped or placed on a CD. This is only offered based on client request. Guided imagery, designed to help clients with life changes, can be created and produced during the session with a CD made available to the client for an additional fee.