Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy as a Way of Achieving Greater Well Being
When I say well-being I mean a better over all way of life. Many of us go through life feeling that there should be more to life than the way we are living. We may have a sense of not having arrived. We may not know what we are looking for, but we know we are looking. We may be part of the group that is among the “walking wounded”, but we are doing okay, just not as good as we want to.
I work as a professional Psychotherapist, and use a common sense, often eclectic way of working with clients and people who are going through life trying to find their way. My work consists of helping people through counseling and mentoring, and giving them alternate ideas on how to live life more productively. It isn’t rocket science it is based on a rock bottom issue of caring for people and wanting to see them succeed in whatever it is that they want to succeed in.
I do a lot of Marital Counseling, and although communication is not necessarily the main problem, it is a central issue that covers much of what I see, as the issues of marriage. Looking for our part of the problem in a marital issue constitutes taking the issue and working through our part, and just being responsible. Taking responsibility in a marriage is one of the first things that is necessary in working towards a healthy relationship.
Traditionally there are many schools of thought on how to do counseling. I believe that if I had to say which school of thought I belong in, it would be Cognitive Therapy, which best fits me. I believe that what we believe is the way we live. It is my belief that we go through life with assumptions and beliefs that often hurt us. We have gathered our repertoire of thinking from family and from those who raised us, and from living life. These ways of thinking may or may not have taught us great lessons, but at this point in time we have to sort out the good stuff, from the lessons that no longer serve us. We don’t have to ‘throw out the baby with the bath water” we just have to sort through our lives and learn to let go of the things that don’t work and learn things that do. Along the way we are revamping beliefs, skills, and ways of living.
Fundamentally I believe that to be a good therapist requires a great deal of persistence and caring about what happens with the people I am attempting to help. My part of the work is to never be content with the body of knowledge, or the bag of tricks (I use this term loosely) that I have. My part of being responsible is to explore many different avenues,to speak to the differences in the people I will see, and work with. I don’t believe I can become complacent in this work. Being creative as part of this process is part of what makes it work for me.
Psychodynamic approach is also a phrase that fits what I do. I believe that there is good reason for our feeling bad, or good for that matter. I feel that unraveling the way the symptom came into being, creates insight into our lives and ways of thinking. If we know how we got there we may avoid falling into the same pattern, the next time around. Developing insight helps us avoid the same problems, but working at change is mandatory to better outcomes!
Choice not Chance Determines Destiny
619 2nd Ave. Suite 508 | 2205 Central
Dodge City, Kansas
620-225-5984
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