A great Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy started his novel Anna Karenina with this famous opening line: "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
I’ve never had two clients whose problems were so similar that the same approach would work for both of them. I doubt that any school of psychotherapy may work in all situations. It might be unwise to practice psychoanalysis with a client in an urgent crisis or use cognitive-behavioral training with those who desire to re-invent their lives. Therefore, I practice integrative therapy and depending on what my clients need most, I borrow ideas and techniques from various schools of psychotherapy, such as psychodynamic, introspective, interpersonal, cognitive-behavioral, narrative, and supportive therapy. My approach is eclectic, which means, "selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines, methods, or styles." I work with individuals (adults and teenagers), couples, families, and groups.
Although some of our clients may have clinical mental health conditions, one does not have to be mentally ill to need help with psychological issues. Difficulty to understand or to be understood causes too much pain and suffering. We tend to overestimate the role of talking – verbal communication – which is only one of the components of the interpersonal communication process. It is rather the way we talk, our emotions and how we express them, that convey strong and important messages that may sometimes even contradict the words. It is important to recognize and respond to the real messages rather than just the words. We help our clients to recognize and react to the real messages.
When most people think about relationship therapy or counseling, they usually assume that only those who want to mend a problematic relationship may need it. Sometimes, regretfully, the relationship is beyond repair. It is hard to overestimate how important it is to properly end the relationship. People in strained relationships often have serious communication difficulties. When they come to us, we help them to understand each other, which in turn helps them to resolve their situation one way or another minimizing emotional trauma. For people considering divorce, we offer divorce mediation services.
We also help our clients to find a precise and clear way to express themselves. This may be especially important in such situations as negotiations, job interviews, meeting new people, and other circumstances when there may be "no second chance to make the first impression."
I believe that we all live in our own personal worlds that somehow differ from each other. They have a lot in common, but nevertheless, I cannot assume that by knowing my world I know yours. When you talk to me, you honor me with an invitation into your personal world, and I see my first obligation to you in accepting the invitation and learning to see things through your eyes. It takes time and commitment from both sides, and the results are worth the effort.