You've taken the first step to finding a counselor that  will be a match for you personally and help you work though life’s  regularly bumpy road.  Allow me to give you some highlights to my style  and what you can expect in therapy with me.  The web is a fantastic way  to find a therapist but nothing can compete with the in person meeting,  so if you find you like what you see and read  here and you live in the Tampa Bay Area be sure to give me a call so we can  have a complimentary phone consult and take the next steps from there. 

What’s a Marriage and Family Therapist

As  a licensed marriage and family therapist in the state of Florida I  practice a type of therapy based on systems theory.  In short, systems  theory is based on the idea: “the whole is greater than the some of it’s  parts”.  It is a relatively new form of therapy, from the 1950’s, and I  try to take a look at the entire system a person is operating in and  how to make changes to alleviate the current discomforts.  Since it was  one of the first psychological theories to treat ‘systems’ it was called  ‘marriage and family’  but for my practice I see individuals, couples,  and groups using this systems theory approach. 

Well first off I can’t change you into anybody or thing you don’t want  to change into.  You are completely in charge of our therapy if you hire  me, as an expert to consult in your life experiences.  I often compare  myself to  an architect,  I have a lot of good ideas on how and where to  build your house but in the end, you build it, live in it and pay for  it.  I work hard and care deeply for my clients’ wellbeing, but I cannot  do their job. Therapy lasts for an hour, the rest of therapy happens  outside of session, where you will make changes and do your own work as  you see fit.  I have been a counselor in Florida since 1999, and most of  the feed back I receive from clients and colleagues revolves around my  personal strength of clarity and I have been called a “straight  shooter”.  To be clear, I am NOT Dr. Phil in style, but I am clear, and  to the point.  
 

When we first meet, I expect you to be interviewing me to see if I am a  fit for you.  Some clients do this more formally with a list of  questions and others evaluate their comfort levels with me.  If by the  end of the first session you have any thoughts that basically are, “this  lady can’t help me”  I would hope that at the very least, I could be of  help finding you a better therapeutic match.    I will be assessing  more about the dynamics of your situation and making sure I have complete clarity on what you need help with.  I usually take notes during our first session, as a memorization tool.  Typically, by the end of our first session we will begin to draw out a treatment plan together with therapeutic goals. Occasionally in the second session we may still be working this out.  My sessions are usually 55 minutes long.