Ugh…Therapy!

I know, I know! For a lot of people, therapy can feel like opening Pandora’s box. You’re not all that interested in seeing what’s inside and you KNOW you won’t be able to get it back in. I get it! For what it’s worth, I think of it more like boxes you have in the attic. You’re going to find some stuff you no longer want or need and it’s probably time to get rid of it. You’re also going to find some wonderful and amazing treasures you forgot or never knew you had and it’s probably time to dust them off and let them shine. At the end, there may not be much you actually want to put back in the box anyway.

A Couple of the Models I Use

EFT – Emotionally Focused Therapy is the model you’re likely to experience if you’re doing couples work, but I use it a bit with individuals too. EFT believes that the primary need in all of our relationships is connection and safety. Our interactions with others either build up or chip away at that connection and safety. When our relationships are working well, it is getting built up. When they are strained and highly conflictual, it is getting torn down. The work we do in EFT is to help you change the patterns of interaction in your relationships so the way you communicate begins to heal and rebuild that connection and safety.

IFS – Internal Family Systems is a model I use often for individual work with individuals and couples. IFS says that our internal worlds work as a system of interactions between parts of the system, much like our families. We have parts that manage other parts. We have parts that protect other parts. We have parts that hide from other parts. And we have a strong, wise, kind Self that knows best how to lead. The goal in IFS is to help unburden overworked parts, heal hurting parts and allow the strong, wise Self to come forth and be a guide. It’s all already in you, I just help you find it.

“Let everything happen to you

Beauty and terror

Just keep going

No feeling is final”

– Rainer Maria  Rilke

 

 

 

A Word about Confidentiality

As a general rule, all therapy sessions are confidential and anything you discuss with me will remain between the two of us, unless you request otherwise. This is a law, which all therapists legally need to follow, and no information from the session can be disclosed without prior written consent from the client.

There are exceptions to this law however, and the therapist must disclose information from the session to legal authorities or appointed persons if any of the following are true:

  • The therapist suspects abuse to a child, dependent adult, or an elder, or are made aware of domestic abuse. These situations all require the therapist to notify law authorities immediately.
  • If the therapist suspects an individual has caused, or is threatening to cause severe bodily harm to another person, therapists are required to report it to the police.
  • If an individual intends to harm themselves, expressing to the therapist for example, plans for suicide. While the therapist will attempt to work through this in the therapy session, if it appears to be unresolved or the client does not cooperate, additional action may need to be taken to ensure the safety of the client.