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COUNSELING
WITH PADDY
Growth
through problem solving and risking different experiences brings new
knowledge and active learning. And learning and change is a lifelong
pursuit for all of us. "Guides" who help us can be friends,
professionals, events, relatives, teachers, colleagues, the outdoors
around us, and even people we don't know yet. The kind of guidance I
offer stems from my own beliefs, experiences, and education, gleaned
from wiser ones who led me then and those who continue to do so now.
My
educational, training, and experiential background leads me to believe
in the basic capability of everyone to become their own good counselor.
As the Gouldings say, "The power is in the patient."
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I believe that:
- People already have the answers
they seek;
- We all must learn to frame
the right question to find answers;
- We can not journey alone and;
- We need others to share their
wisdom with us so that we can learn to do the same.
I
practice the kind of counseling known as Gestalt theory and Transactional
Analysis as well as Cognitive Behaviorism (Corey, 2000). It is important
to be active in one's learning and learn to use our thinking process
to govern our behavior. So I am liable to ask if you have all the information
you need to make a decision. Or are you living in the here and now or
are you "stuck?"
Some
people are more comfortable with getting help from one mental health
professional over another. I believe that the choice must always be
an open one and inclusive of using medical, psychological, and spiritual
support. I am at ease with whatever solutions work best for those who
come to me for guidance and support. At the same time, I am willing
to refer to other professionals at any time during the counseling relationship.
Gerald Corey,
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, Wadsworth,
2000.
Goulding,
R., and Goulding, M., The Power Is in the Patient, TA Press,
1978
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