I am an LCSW who cut my therapeutic teeth out of graduate school working n child and family therapy and moving into substance abuse and completed my training as an LMSW in private practice, focusing on life transitions and trauma and all that comes with those as well as a brief moment in a psychiatric hospital. I feel I have made the most difference when I can make genuine connections with my clients and we can look for answers or solutions together.
I strongly believe that all therapy is client-led. You are the expert on yourself. I can offer a different lens to look at yourself, your choices, your experiences, desires, dreams etc. a little differently than you currently do, not what I think you should do. We will work on the goals you want to work on when you want to work on them (within reason of course! We can't skip the thing that brought you into therapy but you never want to talk about for two months.)
I will absolutely ask you "so what brings you in" and we will go from there. The only thins you might be comfortable sharing on say 1 is "I have some anxiety" and that is perfectly ok. We will come up with goals around that. I might give you questionnaires or homework, or I might ask you to think about something. I strongly believe that all therapy should be a collaborative effort.
