Common Questions...you might have about therapy:
Q: What can I hope to gain from therapy?
A: Ultimately you will get out of treatment what you put into it. I will fight for you and work hard with you if you are willing to work hard with me. Things often get harder before they get better, but they will get better if you work at it. You have a lot to gain through treatment.
Here are just a few of the things that you can gain from therapy:
Invaluable knowledge about yourself, how and why you do some of the things you do and insight on how to change some of those things if you desire.
Increased self-esteem and self-confidence which will impact many areas of your life.
Improved communication skills with others.
A better understanding of who God created you to be.
Resolution of many of the reasons or things that brought you to treatment.
Greater satisfaction with yourself and with your life.
Hope, motivation, and movement if you are feeling “stuck” in a situation or with life.
A more stable mood.
Better overall wellness and health.
Healthier relationship with yourself and others.
Freedom from past issues and guilt
Q: What is your treatment philosophy?
A: I feel it is vital to incorporate Faith and biblical principles into the counseling relationship. When things seem hopeless, God is the only one who can be there for someone completely. Only He can restore hope in breaking free so an individual can enjoy the life He has planned for him or her. I realize not everyone has the same foundation of faith and therefore may not be comfortable discussing religious beliefs. I will respect the decision to include or not include this in our work together.
I believe it is important to treat the whole person meaning emotionally, physically and spiritually. It is also important to look at all angles of life including family, work, social, spiritual, school, etc. Finally, it is important to consider a person’s thoughts as they often drive feelings which lead to certain behaviors. By addressing all parts of an individual and his or her life, together we can begin to work toward attaining a greater sense of self, peace and wholeness.
Q: Do you have a specific philosophy for treating eating disorders?
A: Yes, eating and weight disorders can completely steal a person’s life and sense of self. I approach my work with eating disorders from the perspective that they are something from which someone can completely recover. You do not have to live with and battle this the rest of your life. I treat from a non-dieting approach. Research shows that diets do not work and they actually intensify depressive and anxiety disorders. Most individuals cannot maintain the rules and restrictions on food and exercise long term and ultimately regain the lost weight and often additional weight. When dietary intake is normalized (enough protein, carbohydrates and fats the body needs) and appropriate levels of physical activity are achieved, a person’s weight will normalize to where the body functions best. This process often facilitates a natural weight loss with no need for dieting.
Q: What happens in an average session?
A: A session is 45-50 minutes long. The initial session is called an evaluation. I will be asking you a lot of questions about what is going on in your life and what prompted you to seek help. From all of this information, I can begin to figure out what is potentially going on and start to make recommendations on what I think we need to work on. We will discuss this in depth and, if you agree, we will start our work together.
Sessions are basically consist of us talking about what you are thinking, feeling and how that is impacting your actions. I come from a cognitive-behavioral background which means we will look at how you feel, think and act and make changes as necessary. We are a team working together. I often give “homework” assignments to be worked on between sessions. We will talk about them at the next session, do not worry, I will not grade them!
Q: Is what I say confidential?
A: All information, both verbal and written, from therapy sessions is held in confidence and will not be discussed with any other party else unless you as the patient or guardian have given written consent. The few exceptions when I need to legally and ethically break confidentiality are listed below:
If a client discloses the intent and/or plan to harm him or herself
If a client discloses the intent and/or plan to harm another individual
If a client discloses that he or she is or has abused a child or vulnerable adult or if a child or vulnerable adult is in danger of being abused.