I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) based in Austin, Texas. I graduated from the MAC (Masters of Arts in Counseling) program at St. Edward's University in 2014. I will always be thankful for the experience that I had at Capital Area Counseling during my post-graduate internship where I learned that my desire to become a counselor extended beyond the classroom and into the actual world.

What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?

Though Solution-Focused Therapy tends to follow a question-based format, my personal style is more loose and conversational. Some of the open-ended questions I may ask would be, "What are your best hopes from attending this session?" or, "What do you know about yourself that says you can overcome social anxiety.". Sometimes, I will end the session with a scaling Question like, "On a scale of 1-10 (1 being 'terrible' and 10 being 'amazing'), how are you feeling right now." If the client is particularly unhappy and answers with a 2 or a 3, I reply with, "What is keeping you from feeling even worse? Where are you getting that strength? "

Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.

Over my first four years of being a counselor, I learned that I have soothing, relatable presence that makes clients feel safe even when a situation is challenging them to make changes in her/his lifestyle.

Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.

Just by signing up with Grow Therapy, I know that you are committed to making things better. Therapy tends to follow the same "yes, and..." attitude that you'd find in an improv troupe. In both cases, there is a rapport that is based in mutual trust.

About Jon Richard