Counseling Services at LifePaths Counseling Center

Types of Counseling Services

I work with individuals ages 15 and up. I no longer work with families or couples.  All genders are welcome.

I have a few specialty areas in counseling that are a little more specific than “trauma” which I mentioned above.  One of the areas of trauma I work with is when a person has been scammed.  It’s a devastating kind of trauma, and one that people often get shamed for. I have a free video series for people that this has happened to, a book, courses for people who are in supporting roles and more. You can find more information at https://www.ScamSurvivorHealing.com.

Another specialty area is toxic relationships – intimate partners, friends, family members, and others may be toxic for you and you may be struggling with how to deal with that.

I also work with mental health colleagues on creating a professional will for themselves.  A professional will is for when a counselor is not able to work or call their clients for any reason, and also if a counselor unexpectedly dies.  It’s an important ethical responsibility to have one in place and I have a book about this, two courses I’ve developed and a template that can be used.  You can find more information at https://www.OneLastAct.net.

And finally, I also provide consultation on the topics above. My fee for consultation is $225 and I bill in quarter-hours.

What is Evidence-Based Therapy?

An evidence-based therapy is one that is backed by research.  It is also recognized by the National Institute of Mental Health as a therapy that works. I maintain my skills in these areas and use the techniques that are appropriate for what you need help with. Also, I make sure that the strategy we choose is a good fit for you as a person.

A summary of some of the evidence-based therapies we provide are listed below:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

People work on many issues with a counselor using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, some of these are:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Anger
• Relationship problems
• Stress Management

One of the main goals with this type of therapy is to identify thoughts that are not helpful, or self-defeating, and change those thoughts to healthy ones.

A part of this work is to identify core beliefs that are driving those unhelpful thoughts, and examine those beliefs.  Very often these beliefs are distorted.  Yes, sometimes we really do have deeply held beliefs that don’t make sense!  It can be easier to do this when you have a therapist helping you.  When a person changes these beliefs, it can lead to increased well-being and a more positive outlook on life. We have a handout we give clients here on the website called “Thought Distortions” which is designed to help a person identify thought patterns that are creating problems.  This is a significant part of CBT work.

A specialized form of CBT is CPT or Cognitive Processing Therapy.  It is a highly structured form of therapy designed to treat trauma.  If often is completed in ten sessions.  The ten sessions can happen in ten weeks, or in some cases can be done more frequently.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

The name of this type of therapy makes the goal pretty obvious, you are trying to quickly find solutions to problems. Essentially, the therapist uses tools to shift a person’s perspective about the problem. It is also a positive, strengths-based type of therapy that helps people to see the things they are already doing to cope and solve problems in life.

Too often, people don’t see their own strengths!  When you work with me, I make it a point to emphasize the strengths you already have.  Then, you can use those strengths even more to help yourself.

One of the reasons I use this type of therapy is that it can speed up the process of working with a therapist.  As much as I find this work meaningful, I know that the best therapists are always “working their way out of a job,” so that you don’t feel the need to keep coming back.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

I am trained in EMDR, which is primarily used to treat trauma and associated problems such as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). It can also be adjusted slightly to be used for other problems such as weight loss. You can find more detailed information about EMDR at the website for the EMDR International Association.

This type of therapy is focused on reprocessing a traumatic experience in a way that encourages a person to change their perspective and/or core beliefs that have developed as a result of the traumatic experience, or existing beliefs that were worsened by the experience.

It’s important to work with a therapist who is trained to use EMDR, because there is a very strict protocol to how an EMDR session is conducted.