My Therapeutic Approaches

Gestalt Therapy is a humanistic, holistic, and person-centered psychotherapeutic approach. It was developed by Fredrick S. Perls and others in the 1940s, influenced by the principles of Gestalt psychology and existential philosophy. The gestalt approach has the basic premise that life happens in the present, not in the past or the future. When we are dwelling on the past or fantasizing about the future, we are not living fully.  Through living in the present we are able to take responsibility for our responses and actions.  To be fully present in the here and now offers us more excitement, energy, and courage to live life directly.

Expressive Arts Therapy combines psychology and the creative process to promote emotional growth and healing. This intermodal approach uses arts, like music, drama, visual art, poetry, movement, etc, as a therapeutic tool to help initiate change. By engaging in play and the arts, we are taken into the world of the imagination, where possibilities can be seen that are not evident in our daily lives. We can find resources that we did not know we had and possible solutions that were previously hidden from us. Instead of focusing on deficiencies and dwelling on problems, the EXA approach is resource-based and solution-focused.

Person-centered Therapy puts an emphasis on the client as an expert. It posits that people strive toward a state of self-actualization and therapy can help a client reach self-awareness. The therapy relies on the quality of the relationship between the therapist and the client.  The therapist acts as a compassionate facilitator, listening without judgment and acknowledging the client’s experience without moving the conversation in another direction. The therapist is there to encourage and support the client, and to guide the therapeutic process without interrupting or interfering with the client’s process of self-discovery.