Who Do I Work With?
Sure. I’ll Help Unpack That
There’s a good chance that you have other issues you’d like to work on beyond the specialties I have listed on this site. Maybe you’re experiencing grief over the loss of a friend or barely contained rage at the co-worker from hell. Maybe you’re frustrated because every time you try to stand up for yourself, you freeze up and don’t understand why. I’m ready to help you with most of the other stuff you bring to therapy, too.
What I won’t do is practice in a specialty area without proper training. For me, this includes things such as eating disorders, addictions, and complex trauma. In these cases, I’d refer you to someone else who has specific training in the appropriate area(s). We can always discuss if you want to remain working with me on other things or get referred to someone else to work on the specialty thing, but I won’t try to address an issue when I’m out of my league. That’s a big ethics thing and I absolutely won’t risk harming you or ignoring my professional obligations.
I Really Like Kids, But …
I work with adults or kids fourteen and and older. There are plenty of therapists who specialize in working with younger kids and that’s it’s own art form. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some play therapists while I was in graduate school and I was dumbstruck at what they could do.
Don’t get me wrong. I really like kids. Get me some younger relatives or friends’ kids, a low-traffic spot on the rec room floor, and a big bag of Legos and I’m there. The problem is … I’m not great at doing therapy with them.
Therapy is a completely different animal when it comes to children. The bar is way higher than simply knowing how to do therapy for adults and liking kids. I had the chance to work with a few kids in graduate school and, for whatever reason, I couldn’t get the hang of it. This is another situation where I’d make a referral.