Frequently Asked Questions
Marriage and Family Therapy is a mental health profession similar to psychology, social work, and counseling. Marriage and family therapists diagnose and treat depression, anxiety, mood disorders, and many other mental health problems while also addressing relationship concerns including couple conflict and parent-child issues. Whereas other mental health professionals work mainly with individuals, marriage and family therapists treat individuals, couples, and families from a relationship-centered perspective, evaluating how clients’ interactions with family, friends, and coworkers affect their mental, social, and emotional health.
To learn more about the field of marriage and family therapy, visit the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy webpage at www.aamft.org.
I saw my first client in December 2007.
My clients come from all walks of life. I welcome the opportunity to work with people of all faiths, creeds, races, ethnicities, nationalities, socioeconomic statuses, genders, sexual orientations, health statuses, and education levels. It is my job to provide an empathic ear and wise, research informed counsel to everyone I come in contact with, regardless of any similarities or differences we may have in our core convictions or demographic characteristics.
It is an honor to work with my clients. The strength, courage, and humility they show in therapy is incredible and it is a privilege to be their therapist.
On average, my clients and I work together for 15 sessions over a period of 4 1/2 months. However, these numbers don't reflect everyone's therapy experience with me. Many issues can be resolved more quickly. Other problems require long-term treatment. Predicting therapy duration is usually difficult.
As a therapist, it is my goal to work myself out of a job by helping my clients reach their goals as quickly as possible.
Therapy has a great track record of helping people face their fears and overcome their struggles. Therapy teaches us that fear doesn't have to be a bad thing. If it pushes us to grow, we can even learn to be grateful for it. If you're afraid, let's talk about it. Hopefully you'll find that therapy is a place where you can address your fears, open your heart, broaden your mind, and change your life for the better.