Welcome to Breaking The Links

Welcome to my clinic. I appreciate your giving me the opportunity to be of help to you.

  I believe our work will be most helpful to you when you have a clear idea of what we are trying to do.
Write down any questions you have, and we will discuss them at our next meeting. 
  I often take notes during our meetings. You may find it useful to journal outside of our meetings.  By the end of our first or second session, I will tell you how I see your case at this point and how I think we should proceed.  I view therapy as a partnership between us. You define the problem areas to be worked on, I use some special knowledge to help you make the changes you want to make. 
   Talk therapy/ CBT therapy is not like visiting a medical doctor. It requires your very active involvement. It requires your best efforts to change thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. For example, I want  you to tell me about important experiences, what they mean to you, and what strong feelings are involved. This is one of the ways you are an active partner in therapy. An important part of your therapy will be practicing new skills that you will learn in our sessions. 

  I may ask you to practice outside our meetings, and we will work together to set up homework assignments for you.  I might ask you to do exercises, keep records, and read to deepen your learning.  You will probably have to work on relationships  in your life and make long-term efforts to get the 
best results. These are important parts of personal change. Change will sometimes be easy and quick,  but more often it can be slow and frustrating.  There are no instant, painless cures and no “magic pills.”  However, you can learn new ways of looking at your problems that will be very helpful for changing your feelings and reactions.