Counseling

I offer:

Individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy.

Spiritual counseling and direction.

While I counsel and coach people with various issues, I do lots of work with relationships, abuse, and bullying.

Typically, counseling delves into the past in order to help individuals, couples, families, and groups come to a better understanding of where they are now and solutions that help them make the progress necessary to live a happier, more satisfying, life.

Spiritual counseling and direction places a strong emphasis upon spirituality. I do not force any kind of belief system on you. Dogmatic approaches might work for awhile, but life often throws us curve balls that force us to move out of our rigid belief systems. People must develop their own spiritual sense, one that enhances life. Whether I work with you as an individual or in some sort of group, I take a systems approach. I often talk about owning the Shadow Side of ourselves. We must become aware of our darker impulses and own them, so they do not drive us. To make true progress, we must understand and involve various aspects of the system we find ourselves in.  If we can get the rest of the system to make adjustments along with us, we are more likely to make lasting changes.

In all my counseling I take a holistic approach.  Your mind, body, and spirit are important components of a good life.  My intuition is every bit as important in helping you as my rational mind.

Because of decades of experience, as well as formal counseling training, I will employ a number of techniques to help you. We may role play as ways to explore your situation and come up with possible solutions.  I may assign journaling or other homework.  We may devise some  rituals.  I may ask you to draw for me or make some kind of art or music.  I might tell you a story that relates on several levels to your own situation.  As a literary scholar and writer, I know many.

My dogs often work with me as therapy dogs–more rightly, as co-therapists.  Sometimes the cat joins in. They point out things I might miss on my own.

Who knows the techniques we might employ in our therapeutic work together.

My animal co-therapists, Blake, the toy poodle, PoosPoos, the cat that thinks he’s a dog, and Hattie, the Afghan (with a haircut).  In personality and looks she is very much like Baltho, the subject of my first dog memoir.  All are rescues. Unfortunately I lost Hattie to cancer in August of this year, and Blake to a car in March. He was so happy that Hattie had recovered so well from her cancer surgery that he ran across the street to help a neighbor get his dog back. We were all looking at the neighbor and his dog, unaware of what Blake was doing, till it was too late. Poos is still here and doing well.

Ivo, water color on glass

                        

 

 

 

Sky, retired Champion Afghan Hound, and his kitten Noir, the latest additions to our family.  Sky came home the same day I had to take Hattie to the vet to be put to sleep. Noir, a rescue from a cat hoarder, came home a week later.  Noir thought Sky was his daddie, and that was just fine with Sky.

For a full biography of me and more information on fees, click here.

 

 

 

 

Without justice, not just for one but for all–not only the powerful, but the disenfranchised, those without voices, the poor in spirit and material goods–there can be no real or lasting peace.