What is your clinical approach?

Over the past twenty years, my clinical approach has evolved and shifted. I find myself most drawn to ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) as well as a Family Systems approach. ACT fits consistently with how I view the world: it comes with a humanistic message that the happiness is not the goal. This might sound contrary to what you would expect from a therapist, but please hear me out – ACT recognizes that we can’t always change our circumstances, so the focus then becomes learning how to navigate life’s challenges with acceptance, grace, and understanding to move towards what’s important to us, or learning how to suffer well. I have found this approach works well for a variety of issues, including anxiety, relationship issues, and anyone struggling with their current situation. My clinical approach is also intersectional in that we all function within smaller and larger systems, and we have to take into account all parties in the system and not just the identified patient. This approach helps us to understand the context of behavior, influences, and to offer direction towards desired relationships.