Welcome
Posted: January 20, 2018
This is a blog post originally written in October of 2012 and revisited January 2018. Since we’ve revised and improved our website experience, I thought it a good time to revisit old blog posts. Often it’s illuminating to return to old thoughts and update them with new understandings…..so here we go.
In general, when I’m doing something new, I feel a need to provide context for myself. I like to have a couple of things written down to remind myself what my goals are in doing the new thing. Since I have a tendency to live in the world of tangents, having a reminder list of goals is sometimes crucial. While this blog is not technically a “new thing,” but rather a “revised and revisited thing,” I still feel the need to set some contextual parameters for myself and for any readers.
Often in counseling sessions great ideas emerge. They develop within session from the specifics of one client’s experiences, but expand beyond our work in the room and point to greater truths. I often find myself revisiting these ideas with other clients. Themes begin to emerge, and I see that multiple clients across various demographics are wrestling with and resolving the same issues. I’d like to be able to share some of those ideas that emerge within sessions with people completely outside of my in-person practice.
If you noticed, I said that often “great ideas emerge” rather than saying that I have great ideas. Sometimes, I’m excited to find, the ideas are fully mine, but many times they develop between me and a client as we process events in and perceptions of their life. In fact, it often seems as if the “great ideas” develop in the space created between myself and a client and then evolve into that same created space with other clients. I would venture to guess that if I and my clients continue to share these same developing ideas with as many people as possible, we’ll start a conversation that will evolve into even richer ideas and concepts. I like the idea of continuing the conversations that begin in my office. I think the diversity of opinions and experiences makes for a richer discussion of the topic. To that end, I encourage readers of this blog to continue the conversations found here out in your day-to-day lives.
I find it helpful to be able to sit with myself to formulate ideas to share with clients. I am constantly reading various sources and bringing together various concepts in order to create space for meaningful dialogue in session. Blogging on a weekly basis offers the opportunity to develop integrated thoughts on topics that span the field of psychology. We each have something to add, and a blog is as good a starting point as any. All the while expanding understanding and allowing for greater breadth of experience.
This blog will also allow potential clients to hear the voice, as it were, of depth counseling on their screen. One of the most effective predictors of successful counseling relationships is the perceived fit between counselor and client. Many people try counseling once and don’t feel connected to the counselor, so they never return. Perhaps a fuller understanding of topics covered in counseling sessions might encourage more folks to try it on for size.
My goal is to provide a lot of helpful information and resources on a variety of topics that seem to come up regularly in sessions. The areas in which I plan to write include the following:
- Whole Person Well-being
- Conscious living
- Non-normative grief
- Women’s Issues
- Parenting tips and techniques
- Addiction and its effect on families