F.A.Q

A counselor can provide support and help you develop problem-solving skills and coping strategies. Speaking with a professional counselor is different from talking to a friend or family member because a counselor can provide you with a non-biased, experiential and educated perspective on a difficult problem you may have, or point you in the direction of a solution. The benefits you obtain from therapy depend on how much you put into the process and practice what you learn.

Some of the benefits of therapy include:

• attaining a better understanding of yourself, your goals & values
• improving your self-esteem and lifting your confidence
• developing skills for improving your relationships
• finding resolution to the issues that led you to seek help
• learning healthy new ways to cope with stress and anxiety
• managing grief, anger and other emotional pressures
• changing old patterns of behavior and developing new ones
• discovering new ways to solve problems with your partner, family member or work colleague.

Our work together is designed to explore and deconstruct the problems you are experiencing and expand on your strengths that can help you manage these problems and accomplish your personal goals.

In working with you, I will rely on your resourcefulness, strengths and values so that in the healing process we will use what you have to make what you need. I will also teach you how to empower yourself, so that you can move on from surviving to thriving.

Everyone’s circumstances are unique to them and the length of time the counseling process takes varies for each client. This depends on the issues you are working on, your desire for personal development, commitment to the process and the accomplishment of your therapeutic goals.

I prefer to see clients on a weekly basis for the first few sessions so that I can accurately assess their therapeutic needs. This will allow me to formulate a treatment plan to address your unique situation, which will guide our work together. Your progress will be measured by monitoring the intensity of the symptoms you experience and how well you practice the skills learnt during our sessions. Once progress is observed, sessions are reduced to fortnightly or monthly. Counseling is terminated when your presenting problem becomes more manageable, or is resolved.

I tailor my therapeutic approach to your specific needs, and no two sessions are alike. In general, you can expect to discuss the current happenings in your life, your personal history relevant to your issue, learn skills to help you manage your distress and report progress or any new insights gained, from the previous therapy session or outside of your session. I like to utilize research, exercises, books, and other resources in our session and I usually have you work on these skills outside of therapy. By the time our journey together is completed, you will have learnt skills to help you cope with and manage any issues that may crop up in the future.

The American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics states that it is not ethical for a therapist to see a client for both individual and couples therapy at the same time. This is because of potential breaches of confidentiality and other ethical considerations which undermine the therapeutic relationship and quality of treatment administered. Therefore, when beginning treatment with me, it is recommended that you choose between individual or couples therapy.
If you are interested in couple’s therapy and your partner is also willing to attend, I will ask to see couples together for the first session. This will allow each partner an opportunity to share their perspective and decide if couples therapy is a good fit for them. I will also be able to assess the role of each partner in the relationship dynamic, clarify goals, and then we can address relationship concerns in individual therapy, if you choose to do so.

 I work with a lot of couples who both have strong personalities, have different ideas about what their relationship should be like, and who haven’t been able to communicate with each other for a long time. To be completely honest with you, not every relationship is salvageable and what you may need right now is clarity about what to do next. Especially if there are children involved, you’ll need a guide who can help you navigate the situation in a way that will give you some relief and help you move forward.