Individuals
W hile individual therapy may not actually qualify as an area of special expertise I believe the position from which I approach working with my clients warrants briefly highlighting here.
A client of mine recently commented, "Michael, I believe you have a vocation, not just a job." I am both flattered and proud of her remarks to me. I make a genuine investment of myself with each and every client I see, be they adolescent or adult, single or coupled, male or female, straight or gay, regardless of race, color, or creed. I join with my clients where they are, not where I think they "ought" to be. I believe each client is doing the best he/she can at the time with the issues and challenges facing them. I further believe each client brings with him/her a unique set of strengths and abilities that hold the key to the ultimate resolution of the challenges that brought the person to therapy in the first place. My job is to help my client maximize those strengths, uncover hidden or untapped ones, identify real possibilities for change and/or improvement, and then assist that person with the integration of their newfound and/or rediscovered skill set more fully into their daily lives.