Hello, my name is Elliot Jones and I'm committed to helping others relieve distress and achieve their goals. My approach to therapy is collaborating with you to understand your values, goals, experiences, strengths and expectations for therapy. My intention for every session is to create a place of acceptance, compassion and safety that allows for exploration, connection and healing. It will not always be possible but as a rule it is the hope that a person leaves the session feeling better then when they arrived. As a trauma informed therapist compassion, empathy and acceptance will be at the core of treatment. I use action based interventions to sustain and achieve positive changes throughout the week. My overall goal as a therapist is for the client to be ending treatment with a clear direction of where they are headed in life that is rooted in their values and strengths as well as a strong sense of self and acceptance.
In our first session you should expect a therapist who is coming into the session on time and having reviewed the all the intake paperwork summitted. I will ask questions about location and possible emergency numbers to reach in case of emergency or crisis. I will quickly introduce myself and discuss my role as a therapist. I will discuss general aspects of therapy including pros and cons of virtual treatment, assess for appropriateness of the virtual therapy, as well discussing general expectations and attendance policies for therapy. I will then review informed consent and limits to confidentiality and make sure to review any questions or concerns. I will always assess for any safety issues in our first session. I will also ask exploratory questions and collaborate with the client on what is motivating the client to come to therapy, what their goals and expectations of therapy are. I will also want to identify strengths the client has to build off of in the therapy process. I will also ask questions to start to get an idea of the clients background and values.
Some of my strengths as a provider are my communication skills, my patience and understanding of the therapy process, my humanistic approach to therapy and my passion for helping others.
I am best suited for clients who are comfortable and able to utilize the virtual therapy platform. My role as a therapist is to accept the client and meet them where they are regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs and values. I have particular strengths in working with couples on communication, trust issues and emotional responsiveness. As well working with individuals on reducing anxiety, depressive and trauma symptoms utilizing an eclectic mix of interventions from various modalities.
ACT is a core aspect of my approach to therapy. The use of acceptance and mindfulness to reduce distress as well as identifying goals, values and strengths to empower the individual make ACT a wonderful modality to use in treatment.
Exploring and understanding the significance of our early attachments is some of the most powerful work in therapy setting. I agree strongly with Dr. Gabor Mate's interpretation on attachment and its impact on self worth, feelings of joy and the subsequent behaviors as a deep and compassionate way to understand the human experience. Taking the time to understand a persons attachment history in a curios and compassionate way is a strength of the attachment method and one I use often in the therapy setting.
IFS is the modality and philosophy I am most drawn to and aligned with as a therapist. The compassion and curiosity IFS uses in treatment is amazing. I've completed Dr. Frank Anderson's "Complete IFS Therapy Immersion: Integrating the IFS Model Across Clinical Applications" training. I plan on becoming IFS certified in the future.
Couples counseling is one of my passions as a therapist. I have training in Gottman which the primary approach I take to address communication issues that may be present in the relationship. I also use EFT as a foundational aspect of the couples counseling treatment where each person is going to be asked to understand their emotional reactions and speak for those reactions from a place of honesty and vulnerability. That vulnerability cultivates closeness in the relationship and allows for healing of past and present wounds that may have been experienced in the relationship.
I am trained in EMDR and that is my primary approach to address trauma symptoms and experiences.