Finding the right therapist, especially for the first time, can be an exciting and potentially intimidating experience! Our first session will be focused on getting to know each other and familiarizing me with your presenting issues. At the end of this initial consultation, I will be able to give you a sense as to whether I feel I can be of service and you can determine whether you feel comfortable continuing together in the future.
It is important for potential clients to remember that:
- Anyone and anything can change.
- When we change the way we look at some thing, the thing we look at changes.
- Given a supportive environment and unconditional positive regard, staples of any good counseling situation, all of us have the ability to find the path to our own transformation and healing.
What makes this approach to counseling different?
Transpersonal Psychotherapy is an approach to healing oneself that encompasses our mind, body and spirit on the road to overcoming the blocks to living life to the fullest. In this way, traditional psychology is enhanced by the belief that in order for positive change to occur for the client, it must also occur for the therapist on some level, by and through the bonds of our relationship.
Basically, your process doesn’t happen in a bubble, separate from my own. What is more, only together do we find answers to difficult questions, by carefully following the process of our work together and inherently trusting that process.
Individual Sessions
Moving towards the things we want in life can be an exhilarating experience and oftentimes we find that a sense of peace accompanies the process. Depression, anxiety, frustration and apathy are all symptoms of being out of alignment. Our therapeutic process begins by illuminating the contrast between where you are today and where you want to be. I believe that negotiating the complexities of our lives with awareness and peace is at the heart of meeting the challenges of today’s world.
In therapy, we work together to clarify the thoughts and emotions that support our quality of life. We do this through conversation, reading and discussion, dream analysis and other creative modalities. I am not a therapist that sits back and listens without being a part of the conversation! Therapy is a dialogue and I believe that we both must be engaged in the movement toward wholeness in order to foster authentic growth. I work with you as an active participant in order to develop your emotional intelligence and recondition this new skill to work in partnership with your innate intelligence. In this way, we direct the process towards transformation.
Therapy is meant to be a friendly, gentle process that supports your movement toward change. Sessions are typically once or twice a week depending upon your circumstances. I have an eclectic approach to psychotherapy, based on a foundation of Jungian Depth Psychology and analysis with a sprinkling of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Process Work, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) all wrapped into a generally psychodynamic framework. I am even trained as a professional life and career coach! Clients find that I incorporate different techniques depending upon their unique situation because we are all different! I am happy to work in conjunction with your doctor if medication is involved.
Couples
If you are a couple in a relationship that produces more heart-ache than heart-song in your day to day life, come in and start the process now. I can work with both of you to rebuild the way you communicate with one another in a respectful, loving way. I am a strong believer in the notion that relationships are the greatest teachers we have in life. We learn more from being in relationships than in most other areas of life. However, sometimes it feels like all we are learning is how to be unhappy!
I have been trained in a wide range of modalities when it comes to relationship rehab and recovery and I have researched the field of relationships for over twenty years. In fact, I recently wrote a book on the topic called “Renew Your Wows!” So, I assure you, you’re in good hands.
Together, we focus on establishing a safe sense of attachment as well as on the tools of relationship. Then we address the layers of pain and wounding that have accumulated over time, preventing you from having the kind of partnership that you had simply assumed would be the case without needing to make it happen. So many couples never imagined they would need counseling, and yet, if you are here reading this, perhaps you don’t have to be one of those couples who said these things after it was too late.
If you keep asking your partner to come to counseling with you and he or she refuses, perhaps you need to take the first step. Make an appointment and we can discuss the situation and perhaps together, you and I might find a creative solution to getting the process started. If you are both ready to make a change, we can sit down together and explore how we can support your relationship in a loving, healing, creative way.
My work with couples has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, the Huffington Post, PsychCentral, on TLC’s Four Weddings, Yelp, and on The Knot.
Premarital Counseling
If you and your partner are planning a wedding or commitment ceremony in the coming year, I strongly encourage you to engage in premarital counseling. The beginning is a perfect moment in a relationship to learn solid communication skills and acquire the tools needed to maintain a thriving partnership! In this counseling you will learn useful practices that enhance your relationship today and provide necessary insurance for tomorrow. Premarital work is often done in partnership with my ceremonial officiating practice called Celebrate Love Chicago! Please feel free to ask about these special services.
Group Therapy
Groups can be a powerful avenue to effect change in our lives. Through a small, safe circle of our peers we work together to uncover where we are stuck and receive the support of people who care about us and our struggles as we direct ourselves toward transformation. Throughout the year, I lead groups that focus on specific issues such as relationships, life transitions, dream work or anxiety. Many people prefer this slightly less formal format of counseling because of the reduced fee. Please contact me for more information on current groups.
Coaching
For some folks, the psychotherapeutic model is less appropriate based on their specific needs and goals. Coaching can be an effective tool for individuals interested in confronting feelings of self-sabotage, career and life transitions, professional development and even discovering what type of work makes your heart sing.
Coaching is a partnership between you and I that inspires you to maximize your personal and professional potential. It is a creative process designed to unleash your highest, most empowered self and elicits strategies and directions from within yourself. Clients interested in pursuing a coaching relationship can expect a unique plan of action designed to stimulate self-exploration, growth and development.
Scheduling and financial issues vary from person to person and I maintain a flexible approach to working out a situation that accommodates your unique circumstances.
Teaching / Training
I often present workshops and trainings in my office and in the community based on my interests and expertise. I offer special workshops on topics such as “Conscious Coupling,” “The Leader as Mystic,” “Money and Relationships,” Moving Through the Stuck Places,” “Creativity and Madness,” and more. Please contact me if your organization is interested in such a training or would like to customize a topic for your needs.
As a sample of my work, please take a moment to listen to my recent radio interview on Voice America
Service Rates
When we consider all of the things we spend money on in a given day, week or year, it is often the case that the things that can lead to real positive change in our lives receive the least amount of currency. Coming for therapy isn’t cheap, and it isn’t something that can be guaranteed “complete” in a certain amount of time. However, I take your time and your finances seriously. We don’t waste time any more than we try to control it.
While the most important thing is whether we feel comfortable working together, I believe we can work out a fee agreement that is fair for both of us, especially during these interesting financial times! I am an out of network insurance provider and will provide you with a detailed statement each month that you can submit to your provider for reimbursement. Payment is due at each session and may be given via Paypal.
Session Structure
- Individual Counseling (45 min)
- Couples Counseling (45 min)
- Premarital Counseling (45 min)
- Group Therapy (90 min)
- Coaching (45 min) – Contact me for quote
- Teaching/Training – Contact me for quote