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Orientation to Services  

    I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you, and let you know what to expect from your treatment experience. My goal is to help you feel and function better in your daily life. With your participation, I plan to identify, educate, and then treat any psychiatric conditions that cause enough distress in your life to warrant treatment. I hope to provide you with tools (i.e. medications, referrals, etc.) that you can utilize to help you move forward and maintain a healthy and balanced life.

    Everyone has inner resources and strengths that can be implemented, sometimes in conjunction with medications, to find solutions to deal with the challenges faced on a daily basis. I will ask you to be actively involved in your own therapeutic solution-focused proc­ess. This means you might be asked to:

  • Use some kind of writing exercise to keep track of some of the behaviors, thoughts, feelings, or moods you have discussed.
  • Purchase specific books, tapes, or go to websites that will educate you about your problem.
  • Perform exercises on your own (such as relaxation exercises, thought stopping exer­cises, behavioral exercises, etc.).
  • Consult your primary care physician to maintain general physical heath.
  • Refrain from certain activities/bad habits that are intensifying your symptoms.
  • Attend meetings in the community (either professionally or peer-led) that are relevant to your issues.
  • Attempt to maintain a healthy balanced diet.
  • Attempt to maintain an age appropriate exercise program.
  • Attempt to maintain a regular sleep/wake schedule.

 In other words, this approach to treatment asks you to be active between sessions in trying certain ways to change maladaptive behaviors and attitudes. I do not "fix" you, the passive receiver of help, but instead facilitate and guide your process of change. Together we can implement positive life long changes in behaviors, resulting in overall mental and physical wellness.