Hi. Thanks for reaching out to me. Let me introduce myself. I’m Joe Wittemann, a licensed professional counselor who’s been helping people for over 40 years. Those years have provided me with considerable insight, experience and skills. I’m an immigrant to this country, so I have a sense of what displacement and separation and assimilation means. I’ve been a single parent, so I understand the rigor of raising children alone. I’ve completed my formal education, so I understand what struggle and perseverance means. I’ve remarried, so I know what compromise and acceptance means. I have transitioned from one career to another and understand the potential for positive change. I’ve been unhappy. I’ve been frightened. I’ve been alone. I’ve felt the pang of depression . And I have grown through these trials. And when I couldn’t do it alone, I sought professional help. My first career was teaching and working with students. That lasted almost 25 years. Early in that career, I helped establish the Teen Institute on Alcohol and Drugs in Ohio. That led me to a 40 year involvement with adults in addiction recovery programs. I continue that work today. In my second career, I worked with organizations and industries struggling through major change initiatives. In those settings, I’ve helped individuals facing forced separation, transfer, and loss. I’ve also mentored leaders who struggled with the changes that they had to enact. I’m a consultant to a crisis response group serving companies experiencing workforce disruption. I appreciate the courage it takes to pick up a phone and call for help, or to push the enter button on a computer to search for it. Bravo. Now I’d like you to consider some of my beliefs about the counseling relationship and my approach to working with people. I consider this relationship a sacred trust and protect it from outside influence. The time we spend together is solely for your benefit . I believe that each individual inherently knows what is good or beneficial for them. Together we affirm that. Rather than looking at life as a series of problems to be solved, we explore opportunities for growth and development. What we think about is crucial to the way we behave or act. So exploring your thoughts about certain issues will help us find solutions to them. All of us are concerned with security and privacy. The BetterHelp platform provides for both. To that I add, a personal commitment to honor your privacy while in session and afterwards. Only with your permission can any information be released, unless otherwise ordered by a court of law. HIPPA policies are always in effect to safeguard personal/private information. Counseling is considered conversation between you and me. My role is to help clarify the concerns you bring to the conversation to help find solutions to them. Early on in our discussion, I will ask for more clarification to the issue(s) you present so that together we understand the core and tangential concerns. Together we will endeavor to find practical solution. And, if needed employ the aid of other health care professionals should medications be considered. I use a pragmatic approach to therapy, which I find moves the process along comfortably for the people I work with. That means, education and goal setting are important elements in moving forward. Cognitive processing and mindfulness are two critical components in achieving continuing mental well-being. So I do focus on how thinking affects how we feel and act..I consider, with the patients with whom I work, how brain chemistry add to stress responses and teach my clients on how to better manage it. I typically schedule 45 to 60 minutes with my clients. That allows us to explore more fully the concerns that you bring to the experience and to spend time needed to work toward resolution. That does limit the number of clients I see in a weeks time so that appointments are usually schedule every other week. Also, being on the East Coast, can be a challenge for clients who live in different time zones. If you do choose to work with me, I will attempt to meet your needs as best as I can. At this point in time, I do not work in the evenings, but I do provide some opportunity on Saturdays. My appointment schedule is available for you to see so that you may make and informed decision as we go forward together. If you believe that I might be a good fit for you, please contact me. We will see how we can work together to help you meet your needs.