I have 52 years of experience as a therapist, and have focused on trauma resolution techniques for the past 30 years. I am an active therapist in that I teach tools which people can use between sessions to manage their emotions and relationships.
I am solution-focused in my approach. I understand that everyone is bringing strength and resilience into therapy, and it's part of my job to discover those strengths and help each person use their strengths more effectively.
I ask questions and actively listen until I feel I understand why the person is coming to me, and what they hope to accomplish in therapy. Then I tell them about the way I work with people, and how I would propose specifically working with them. I do this so they can decide if it is a good fit and whether they want to schedule follow-up sessions. I tell people that ones needs two things, at a bare minimum, for the therapy to have a chance of being effective. Those things are 1) someone who knows what he or she is doing, and 2) someone with whom one is comfortable.
