jeanne – Page 2

How Often Should I Come for Counseling?

July 7, 2011 by jeanne Leave a Comment

Clients ask, How often should I come for counseling?

Individual Counseling

In most cases, weekly sessions are best for an individual person to maximize their counseling experience. A week is about the right amount of time to process the information, thoughts and feelings and be ready for more input.

Couples Counseling

For couples, a different frequency might work — such as every other week — but couples also often do their best week to week at least initially. Time, experience and researchhas provided us with this ‘optimum.’ Think also of the timeliness of other activities in your life.

Working out only once a week would prove to be an ineffective exercise program;we know that a minimum of three 30-minute to 1-hour segments of time devoted to serious sweat are needed in you want to see progress.

On the other hand, exercising every day without a rest or working out for too long a stretch can have a negative effect. There is a happy medium.

Cycles and Rhythm Are Important

Brushing and flossing your teeth? Gotta be daily – hopefully at least twice. Your car needs an oil change every 3,500 miles….your general health needs an annual check-up…your dog needs a walk every morning and evening. Get it? There’s a cycle and rhythm to life, and therapy is no exception.

Filed Under: FAQ

Reviewing your past

July 3, 2011 by jeanne Leave a Comment

About those past “unresolved issues“: A poet and philosopher of the late 19th and early 20th century, George Santayana, is quoted as saying, “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” If that’s true, then my clients should be heading for better days after a few sessions!

I am not a therapist who starts from “here and now” and moves forward, though laying aside the past is certainly where we want to end up.

My approach is generally to encourage each person to tell their story, starting with their childhood. Often I use what’s called a ‘genogram’ — diagramming the family tree on my whiteboard and noting the different personality styles, how people related, and what losses they suffered. Patterns begin to emerge and make sense as we talk about how this might be impacting them in their current life.

This is especially important groundwork for Adult Children of Alcoholics, people recovering from abuse, and those with multiple deaths or losses through divorce. Though it’s understandable why a person would just like to forget a painful or unpleasant past, taking time to revisit it briefly and thoughtfully in therapy can be surprisingly beneficial. Out of this, healing can emerge like the phoenix rising from ashes to new life!

Filed Under: Individual Growth, Transitions

Principles for Building a Successful Marriage

June 30, 2011 by jeanne Leave a Comment

John Gottman’s book for building a successful marriage is a must-read for most couples in my practice. It’s loaded with practical evaluations, exercises and advice. He is quite frank in his serious warnings for relationship pitfalls – eg. the chapter on the “seven horsemen of the apocalypse” – but I think the book is quite hopeful.

In addition to his own practice as a marriage therapist, he’s been doing research for the past two decades.

Not only do I subscribe to his research, but I have pursued some training from him and have incorporated much into my own approach. You can find his The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert through Amazon and in most local bookstores.

Filed Under: Book Review

Benefits of the Changing Family Landscape

June 27, 2011 by jeanne Leave a Comment

It is now estimated that between 17-20% of homes in America are multi-generational. Increasingly, several generations opt for the financial, social and emotional support that living together affords.

In some cases, grandparents are helping to raise the next generation by moving in with their adult children. But sometimes it’s the young adult children, now jobless, who are moving back with their parents.

Perhaps this is a real upside to the politically and financially dark landscape that we are in these days. We need each other! A benefit to hard times is that we change our perspectives about the glories of being “self-made” and “self-contained.” Forget the Lone Ranger!

We’re into extended family and community these days. So get out the board games and fire up the bar-b. You don’t need expensive restaurants and entertainment when you have a friend at home.

Filed Under: Children, Family, Individual Growth, Transitions

Book Gives Context to Those in Grief

June 24, 2011 by jeanne Leave a Comment

In my work as a volunteer with Portland’s Legacy Hospice I came across Dr. Wolfelt’s “Understanding Your Grief: Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart.”

Legacy recommends it in their bereavement support group, and for good reason. If you’ve ever experienced great loss and felt confused or even a bit crazy for what you are experiencing, this book will bring you some reassurance and comfort. A companion workbook is available for people who find it helpful to write and who want to work through their bereavement process one “touchstone” after the other.

For my clients who are coming to me for some professional support dealing with issues surrounding loss, I often use this book to supplement our counseling sessions. Available through Amazon or may be ordered through your local bookstore.

Filed Under: Book Review

Advice to Help Parents Break the Cycle of Addiction

June 21, 2011 by jeanne Leave a Comment

There are many good parenting books on the market but one that I frequently return to in my practice – especially for parents of pre-teen and teen children – is “Parenting for Prevention.” It’s particularly useful for parents who themselves are Adult Children of Alcoholics and who want to make sure they don’t raise another generation of substance abusers.

It is too easy for ACA’s to slip into some enabling behaviors! But I think this book is a good read for parents of any nearly or clearly adolescent. Full of common sense and easy to read with almost no “filler” – I think you’ll enjoy the simple “job descriptions” for parents and kids and the advice on how to avoid those “mixed messages”. It’s cheap at Amazon or you can order it from a local bookstore.

Filed Under: Book Review, Children, Family