Our Approach to Therapy

Philosophy of Counseling

Change occurs in therapy through building and experiencing a therapeutic relationship where you can:

• heal pain and grief
• change beliefs that are hurting you
• develop healthy behaviors
• increase self-awareness
• improve communication skills
• establish healthy boundaries in your relationships

Our goal is to facilitate a safe environment to assist you in your process towards self-improvement and having a more fulfilling life.

Since our counseling clients are unique individuals, we develop a specialized approach depending on your specific needs and goals. You are the expert on your own feelings, needs and desires.  As therapists, we will help bring clarity and insight and support you in deciding what you want to achieve, at a pace that is comfortable to you.

Counseling Procedure

The procedure we use involves talking about your concerns and emotional experiences.  While the primary therapeutic technique we use is talk therapy, sometimes other creative processes may be helpful (e.g., journaling, writing, drawing, etc.) in assisting you to experience deeper levels of yourself.

During our therapy sessions we will ask questions; look for patterns in your behavior, thoughts and feelings; and share our observations with you.  We will focus on your strengths and successes and how you can use them to help you solve and heal problem areas.

We will help you develop healthier ways of coping and provide tools to assist you in doing so.

During therapy there may be times when you feel angry, frustrated, confused or depressed – and maybe even doubt your progress in therapy.  These reactions are temporary and are a sign that change is occurring.

Your active participation in therapy is essential in order for it to be effective.

The first counseling appointment:

In your first session, you will meet your therapist and ask any questions you may have about the counseling process (e.g., confidentiality, appointment scheduling, cancellations, etc.).  We will then talk in more detail about the concerns that have brought you to counseling.  We may ask you questions in order to help us to better understand you and your concerns. We will also talk about what your goals are for counseling.  At the end of the first session we will discuss a plan, and offer any recommendations we may have.   If we determine ongoing sessions may be beneficial, we will schedule your next appointment.

How often will we meet?

Generally weekly appointments are recommended in order to gain rapport and maintain momentum in the achievement of your goals.  Over time you’ll start noticing that you feel better, and you’ll start to incorporate the work you are doing in our counseling sessions into who you are outside of our sessions. The length of counseling varies, depending on your needs.  Once you feel that you have achieved the goals you have set for yourself  and are feeling happier and more at peace, we will discuss if you still can benefit by coming weekly.

We are committed to working with you to create the long-term emotional, physical, mental, behavioral and spiritual changes that you desire.

Whether you want individual counseling, couples counseling, or family counseling, we can help.

Contact Us to book a counseling session in our Issaquah or Sammamish therapy offices or via telehealth. OR call us to set up a FREE 10 minute phone consultation.

Together we can determine how our therapy services can help you!