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My Therapeutic Style:
I offer a flexible, non-judgmental, educational approach to counseling. At the client's request, Christian principles can be intertwined into the therapy. My goal is to educate my clients as to how to recognize the stressors in their lives, the impact on their mental health, how to deal with said stressors, and to learn preventative techniques. I believe that medication has its place in therapy, but I believe that medication alone can not solve one’s problems. Research has shown that the best treatment for mental illnesses is the combination of medication and therapy. I have a reputation among clients and colleagues of providing excellent patient care and have received numerous accolades, from patients and professional colleagues alike.
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What makes me different from other therapists:
There are several things that set me apart from many counselors. First of all, I have had a wide range of professional experiences and knowledge that has been developed through working at an inpatient psychiatric hospital, a non-profit counseling center that focused on abuse, & where I was one of the directors, a non-profit Christian counseling center, an outpatient counseling clinic, a private practice, and adjunct professor for two local colleges. In addition, I actively research the latest information on a variety of mental health and medical issues. My professional experience has also been developed by me providing supervision for counseling interns since 2003.
My type of therapy is what I like to call an educational approach. This approach is another trait that sets me apart from other counselors in that I am a strong proponent of providing handouts to my clients and educating them using a mind-body-soul philosophy. Based on client reports over the years, I have found that many counselors do not regularly provide handouts and/or referrals to their clients. Handouts can be a vital tool in assisting a client. My experience has been that clients who are motivated for therapy and follow through with the recommendations in the handouts tend to benefit more from therapy, and may require fewer sessions. While every case is different, the large majority of my clients have shown improvements in their situation when they followed through with their assignments. I stand apart from many therapists because I take the time to prepare an educational handout packet for each of my clients and, if needed, I will make every effort to provide referrals to other community resources. I have developed an extensive list of local referrals that covers a multitude of needs.
Finally, clients have told me that my general demeanor and approach to therapy is different from that of other counselors. I have had many clients who have been intimidated by their therapist, felt that the therapist wasn't listening to them or didn't understand what they were going through, or just sat there with little to no feedback. I am an active participant in the therapeutic process; I strive to understand a client's problem and to provide guidance and feedback. My overall demeanor is that of someone who is flexible, open, caring, non-judgmental, understanding, commited to the growth of my clients, and role model for appropriate boundaries.
Please feel free to contact me to ask any additional questions that you may have regarding my therapeutic style. Lori@lorivann.com