From my experience, what matters most in therapy is to feel like you and your therapist are a good fit for one another. When the chemistry is well balanced, the work is more effective. This chemistry is a blend of how our personalities mesh; the lived experience, expertise, and method of working that the therapist brings to the table; and how you respond to the ways in which the therapist works.
Of course, you need to be ready to do the work, or at least be in a place where you are ready to give the work a chance. Therapy is a wonderful tool for healing, but it is a deep dive into your experience. Finding a good therapeutic match will help create the environment you need to feel ready to begin.
I believe that we’ll know whether or not we’re a good match by the 3rd session. However, there are ways in which you can strengthen the likelihood that this will be the case.
First, read below about the common characteristics and desired outcomes of clients whom I’ve been an excellent match for. Then check out my areas of expertise on my About page. If you find yourself resonating with part or all of what you read, there’s a good chance we’ll have the kind of chemistry that gets results.
Second, schedule a free consultation call with me. This allows us to start the conversation and get a sense if we are going to be a good match. Please email me if you are interested in setting something up.
As I think back on the clients who’ve really thrived from working with me, here’s a list of common characteristics:
- Kind, creative, compassionate, sensitive and intuitive
- Curious- sees life as a lifelong pursuit of growth and knowledge, enjoys reading or listening to podcasts in between sessions so that our work together becomes reinforced and strengthened
- See humor and laughter as a way to relieve tension, but not avoid moving through the pain you feel
- Have often felt misunderstood by others, or had experiences and relationships that caused you to question your own instinct and intuition
Frequently the desired outcomes of therapy with clients with whom I have a good alliance are:
- Wanting to do a deep dive to understand how your history and your ancestry is influencing your life in the here and now- not to blame, but to place it within context to enable yourself to grow
- Work through challenges in order to validate, honor, and trust oneself, building greater sense of self-worth and self-confidence
- To trust in your innate gifts and value, work through any dismissive or limiting beliefs, and unpack personal experiences to find meaning and enable healing
- To find and strengthen your connection to your voice and your truth, to advocate for what you need, want and deserve out of life
- Explore how looking at life from a perspective of spirituality and philosophy assists us to live with uncertainty, with life’s challenges, and the existential dilemmas we all face
- Learn new tools for navigating life resiliently, feeling more connected to yourself in body, mind, and spirit, which provides you a firmer foundation to live from
- Build a stronger connection to your unique wisdom and creativity