Mental Health Therapy comes at us and says we must do things we are not comfortable with. It makes us look at things we want to push aside and work on things that do not come naturally to us. I have been asked many times what my approach to a mental health is. Well that really depends on the diagnosis. Diagnosis is not just coming up with a fancy label, it is discovering why we feel, act and think the ways we do. People are very complex, and our emotional life is even more complex than our physical body. What is my approach? When seeking out a therapist you may have asked this question. But how do you know if the answer is a good one. You need to, in some way, place trust in your therapist or seek out another opinion. My basic approach. All therapists have existential beliefs, you probably need to know where they are coming from to see if it is a good fit for you. So, ask. I come from a Christian background that informs my beliefs and behaviors. Human beings have a body, soul or mind, and spirit. It is how we are made. I believe we need to be wholistic in our approaches. How do I approach Mental health? Like most of my colleagues, I do not believe in a singular approach and I use what I believe will be more effective for the specific individual I am working with. I believe we are completely connected body mind and spirit, therefore, to be effective we need to consider all three areas. Some people call this holistic. We each have a unique history, background, traumas, gifts, talents, circumstances, socio-economic realities, relationships, etc. Our personal history shapes our feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. So, I use different approaches depending on what I encounter, what I see your needs to be. In Brief, I will use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) This is how our thinking and beliefs shape our behaviors. This uses a basic ABC approach. Activation, Belief, and Consequences. i.e. Something happens to us, we get angry or hurt and we act according to what we believe which brings a consequence. Narrative therapy I want to look at the story of your life and to then reshape how you see yourself by changing the narrative we have going on in our head. By retelling our story, we can make different choices. The Schema we have going on in our heads doesn’t always work and needs to be changed. I may use Psychodrama to set the stage and discover what is really driving us toward our actions. I may also use life integration to work through traumatic experiences. Existential Therapy. This has to do with our basic beliefs about the world and people. We must have hope, meaning, and purpose. If we know the why of what we are doing, we can almost always overcome how. In today’s society, we are frequently told we do not count and we can be tossed aside. This leads to depression and frequently bad behavior. Rooting our selves in the values we want to present will transform us to move toward the people we want to become. I want you to consider seriously what you live for, and why you do what you do. I use the Multi-Modal approach at times knowing that each of us responds to a variety of stimulus in different ways. Behavior: What specific action do you want to do more of or less of? Affect: What emotion would you like to increase or decrease? Sensation: What sensation would you like to have more often or experience less frequently? Imagery: What mental picture would you like “see” more often or less often in your “mind’s eye?” Cognition: What specific thought would you like to increase or decrease; start or stop? Interpersonal relationships: What specific social change would you like to make? Drugs/Health/ Biology: What specific change in a healthy habit or physical issue would you like to make? I also use Motivational Interviewing. Until you are ready to change and decide that you want to make a change anything I do will probably not be very helpful. If I can help you become motivated to make a change and decide what that change will be, then we are on our way to a healthier you. Maybe someone in your life is telling you that something must change but you are not yet convinced. I may be able to help you see what they see and increase your motivation to do something different. If you keep doing what you are doing you will keep getting what you are getting. Maybe you need to change the one person you can change, …you. There are probably more techniques and approaches that will need to be considered, but this is a good sample of what you may expect from me as your therapist. I know that I am not the right therapist for everyone. But am I right for you? I guarantee that you as my client, you will be cared for and that I will have your mental and spiritual, health as my priority. So, make an appointment and come on in, sit down, and let’s make you better. “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” — Mahatma Gandhi Gandhi was completely right. When you don’t act in accordance with your values and goals, you’re internally-conflicted.