My early training included many different types of therapy, and I use all of these types from time to time in my practice, according to what you need and want in therapy. In general, I encourage you to lead the session by talking about issues that come to mind or seem particularly relevant that week. My job is to listen with care and to provide feedback, support, an alternative perspective, or encouragement to talk things through. I may suggest an activity to try between sessions, or I may challenge you to try to accomplish something in a new way. From time to time, I might demonstrate things in sessions myself--like an assertive way to handle a situation, contrasted with an aggressive or passive way to handle the same situation, or we might role-play if you are open to that. I often ask clients to become more conscious of their thoughts--how true or realistic they are, how much time spent in negative thoughts, and how helpful these thoughts are in their lives. 

We often look at strategies to be able to choose to disengage from negative thoughts, to face things that cause anxiety, and to make more accurate assessments of the probability of feared outcomes occurring. I work to help you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings and be able to maintain a bit of distance between them and your deeper self. If you have trouble doing so, we will work to decrease automatically reacting to thoughts, images, and feelings and instead sort through those worries, intrusive thoughts, and the like. Temporary focus on a simple breath usually give people enough time and space for their entire brain to come up a healthy response. I encourage clients to maximize their time being present and less time thinking about the past or worrying about the future. Paradoxically, it is often wise to spend some time looking at the past in order to understand the things which have contributed to one's present view of the world and habits, or think about the future and what you have some agency over to maximize your chances of having desired outcomes.. We sometimes discuss books or other reading materials. For some clients, facing their anxieties or fears in session can help alleviate their anxiety outside the session. For others, having a chance to grieve a loss is important to healing.