approach

Therapy is a collaborative process. It's by talking about what feels important to you that we’ll work to change what's troubling you most. In keeping with this, we’ll always start with whatever difficulties feel the most pressing to you—and work from there. Ultimately, my goal is to help you develop a greater awareness of the hidden beliefs and behaviors that might be getting in your way, fueling painful romantic experiences, problems at work, or maybe just a vague sense that, even though life seems pretty good—a decent job, a steady partner, an active social life—something isn’t quite right. This doesn’t mean we’ll be spending all our time talking about what’s wrong. I firmly believe that change is additive, not subtractive. In other words, rather than just trying to eliminate problems, we’ll actively build on your current strengths and insights, taking the best of what you have and expanding your repertoire to include new perspectives and behaviors. I should add, too, that this isn’t just about deepening insight. I have no illusions that change can ever emerge simply by striving for a greater depth of understanding or self-awareness. Old habits often die hard, so I usually emphasize building new skills, and encourage you to try them out, whether it’s in your relationships, in your daily routines, or in your career—in short, in as many situations as possible. And although we'll always strive to understand what's causing you distress, we'll also work, whenever possible, to provide you with some immediate relief from whatever pain you're struggling with at the moment.