This is by far the most difficult part of creating Think Talk Therapy and developing the content we wanted to share with you. It is inevitable to feel like I am trying to sell myself by listing my academic achievements and the attributes that make me the right therapist for you, so I won’t do that. Instead I will try to briefly explain my approach to therapy as well as why I decided to choose this career path.
My personal approach to therapy has evolved since I first started practicing, but the essence of who I am as a counselor has remained unchanged. My role as a therapist is to help you understand yourself and provide you with the tools that will ultimately help you reach your goals. Essentially it is my job to make sure that you are healthy, happy, and independent so you don’t need me anymore. Sounds like a terrible business plan, but to me being a therapist is not a business decision.
Which brings me to the reasons why I decided to become a therapist if it wasn’t for the heaps of money I was going to make. As a young child, I struggled with adapting to changes and stressors in my life, I was a shy and insecure little girl whose young parents were not sure how to handle, until they made the decision to take me to a therapist. Thus began my own personal exploration of the therapeutic process and firsthand knowledge of the impact therapy can have on self-discovery and personal development. I participated in psychoanalysis for over 15 years and highly value the Freudian principles that helped me develop a better understanding for the psychological framework that has served as the base of many of the theories and approaches currently used in therapy. I find it extremely important to have a psychodynamic understanding of the clients I help as I believe that understanding the root of our behaviors and responses is essential to being able to sustain any changes in the present.
It was my own experience in therapy, throughout the years and at different stages of my life that has shaped the therapist I am today. I admit that by most measures I am not your typical therapist, and the reason for this is that during my own personal therapy experience more than a “typical therapist” what I wanted was a therapist that I could relate to as a person. That being said I still wanted a professional that would be able to understand the complexities of the human psyche and be able to help me understand myself and guide me in the process of understanding and overcoming my issues but in a way that felt naturally organic that somehow “flowed” as a conversation with someone you enjoy spending time with unsurprisingly does. I did not want someone who talked down to me, that used words and terms I did not understand or that somehow made me feel broken and flawed or felt sorry for me, what I needed was a professional that was empathetic, respectful, understanding and who knew they were doing. That is the kind of therapists that I modeled myself after and continue to work towards developing as I learn more about myself through the process of helping others. I will try to be the kind of therapist that hopefully you will feel comfortable talking to and who will work with you to support your individual therapeutic process without judging you in the process, because I have been sitting in your place and I know it’s not easy.
In your search for a therapist don’t forget to take the time to evaluate your needs and consider what your options are. Look for the qualities you want in a therapist and try to match them as much as you can because the effectiveness of therapy is largely based on the relationship you have with your therapist more than any other factor. I am glad to report that there are many good therapists out there that fit the criteria of what I wanted and there are many typical therapists that are great at what they do. I have worked with them, I have participated in therapy with them and I have even trained some of them myself. Don’t settle for a therapist that doesn’t meet your needs your life, time and money are too valuable.