Our counselors provide therapy in Leominster, MA

My go-to approach for helping the patients I see for individual therapy is to be open, to listen to what they are saying, and to work together with them, starting where they're at using the many tools I have at my disposal to help them make progress. I continuously refer to myself as my patient's GPS system due to my belief that a therapist, if they are a good fit with the patient, will guide the patient to find their own way by teaching tools that can be used across the lifespan.

I teach the following tools:

• Self-awareness: I do this through the use of mindfulness, which includes body scanning to be fully aware of what is happening inside and outside the body and have a full picture of the environment.
• Naming feelings: For those who have difficulty naming feelings, I provide multiple feeling words and help the patient make their own definition of the word.
• Locus of control: Assisting clients in naming what they are in control of in a situation, what they can influence in that situation, and what is out of their control for the same situation.
• Intentional dialogue: To be able to inform others how their actions have impacted the client without blaming.

These are just some of the tools; I use what is applicable to my patient based on their needs.

I know a patient is making meaningful progress in individual therapy when they are able to say to me, “Wow, I'm actually using everything/something that we've been working on on a daily basis” so that their anxiety or depression isn't occurring at the same intensity. Also, they have gained the self-confidence to be able to inform me that they might be nearing the end of their therapy journey.

I assign challenges, not homework. Sometimes, I'll use the words interchangeably depending on what works for the patient. The connotation of homework for many is not the best, so I'll use a small challenge as a way to help a patient understand the concept and start to use it. This could be as simple as asking them to wear a watch on the opposite wrist for a couple of weeks so that they can see that they can be successful in a small change before trying to make big changes.

All I ask for somebody coming into an intake with me is to be open and honest. The rest we can work with as we meet. It's great for clients to be 100% upfront due to only providing telehealth sessions at this time; I also ask that they ensure their internet is working, that they have a backup system available in case of a power outage, and that their Zoom is up to date.