What can I expect from our first session?
A client can expect a sense of welcome and deep interest, as well as to feel at ease and encouraged. The first session is an opportunity for me to get a sense for a client’s mental health concerns and for the client to get a sense for my approach towards those concerns. In addition, the first session is an opportunity for the client to ask me any questions about myself and my background.
What inspired you to get into counseling?
The counseling profession synthesizes my strongest abilities and my strongest interests. It takes significant aspects of my nature – curiosity, compassion, empathy, determination, being a good listener and problem solver – and many of my strongest interests – psychology, personal growth, brain science, mindfulness, education, storytelling – and merges them into the coherent whole that is counseling. I made being a therapist my life’s work because my profession truly is my passion. In addition, as a younger person, I had some personal experience with therapy that left indelible impressions – both positive and negative – and the counseling profession lets me take advantage of this perspective.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
It is particularly meaningful to provide individuals comfort, hope and help during difficult times. As is obvious, it is enormously satisfying to witness clients’ change and progress.
In another life, if you weren’t working in counseling, what would you be doing?
As is probably clear from the above, I would be working as a therapist in any life! If that were not possible, I would probably be a litigator.
What is something your patients would be surprised to learn about you?
Perhaps that I am a huge fan of country music. I look like such a preppy!