A fundamental philosophy underlying consultation is that we benefit from being accompanied through the difficult or confusing times that arise in human life – and that seeking guidance and support is a sign of health and self-respect. I’m excited to draw from the broad range of my current and prior professional skills and experiences – as a psychologist, professor, group leader, researcher, administrator and clinical supervisor – to facilitate growth and movement toward your goals. I am honored to work with people as a consultant/facilitator/advisor.
It is my role to help broaden discussions, add perspectives not readily seen, and to guide in problem-solving with the goal of creating solutions that are flexible, respectful and dignified for all involved. It is also my role to help participants take in new, difficult and/or emotionally charged information in ways that are constructive and healthy. I will bring attentive listening, understanding, belief in you and commitment to your success. You can expect me to respect your autonomy and inner wisdom, challenge you, offer fresh perspectives, make requests, and ask you to follow-up on things between appointments. I may make referrals to community resources, such as social service agencies, 12-step programs, self-help groups, books, etc., if I believe these would help you reach your goals.
Sometimes people come to my practice first as a psychotherapy client. In the course of the therapy, often over considerable time, prior episode(s) of depression or anxiety have resolved. Usually, there is a maintenance phase of therapy, which solidifies the gains and helps maintain progress over time, culminating in a time when people are functioning well and healthfully. It’s exactly at this stage that some people wish to continue the process of self-growth, this time addressing the betterment/improvement of their lives/self-understanding, etc. – creating a kind of buoyancy to make it through the normative difficulties of a human life. This is not because they continue to meet criteria for a psychological or mental disorder, but because they are human, and to be alive and to be human is to experience periodic times of confusion, pain, loss and suffering. Unfortunately, our society has no means to give us access to the kind of care, support, consultation, guidance, or coaching that we could all use in these moments of human difficulty, and so psychotherapy has sometimes been stretched so that people continue to come in and use their health insurance to pay for it.
I have wanted to find a way to work with people who are well, without taking advantage of a system set up to treat us when we are unwell. I don’t wish to diagnose someone with a mental disorder just because they would like some guidance and support during life’s hard moments. And let’s be clear – just because we are well and healthy does not mean life’s hard moments are without significant pain. It means simply that – that we have come to experience a troublesome aspect of life, and we will manage through the difficulty, making choices that are in the short- and long-term better for us and all around us, if we can go through these times with a trusted guide.
In the course of our work, it is quite likely that we will address and encounter emotional, personal, professional and relational challenges and/or painful emotional experiences. It is my goal to help name and process these experiences in a learning framework. Although I am a clinical psychologist, the consultative work we are undertaking is not psychotherapy, and, as such, I am not assuming your clinical care. If I believe it necessary and a potential benefit to you, I will make referrals and/or recommendations for clinical care.