My name is Michael Brollini. I am licensed in California as a marriage and family therapist, with 7 years of experience working with co-occurring mental health disorders and non-mental health disorders. It is my goal to help with learning alternative self-care activities, utilizing coping skills, and grounding techniques that could help us to function in the present moment. These are the basic fundamentals that are important through the healing process which could help improve your personal growth.

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

The first session may seem more clinical that others as it is more of gaining insight into the activating events that led to seeking therapy, psychoeducation (which is the learning phase of conflicts, identifying problematic behaviors, and gaining an understanding of goals). Goal setting is done collaboratively. Goals can change at times when establishing them at the start could happen through the emotional responses from an experience. Once exploring and potentially uncovering repressed or unresolved issues, this could lead to a different direction and pace of the therapeutic process (sometimes shorter and sometimes longer).

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

My journey to becoming a therapist began with my undergraduate education in criminal justice. I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do in criminal justice, although, I did know I wanted to either be a probation officer, a correctional officer, or a parole officer. I was working as a bike patrol security officer when I first encountered homelessness the way that it was in 2013. I began to help some who had no idea how to search for a job, get through interviews, and establish a routine to maintain the position that they were seeking to work for. Once I started to see the changes and those that would share their success with me, I brought it up to my student advisor and he motivated me to seek out psychology due to the nature of being able to use talk as a method of creating change. Once doing my research on psychology courses, I found that there was a passion in what I was reading and ever since, helping people and seeing the changes that are created through talk therapy alone has motivated me to keep reaching out to help those that are receptive, and to plant seeds for those that are not receptive hoping that one day it could help). After all, in my life, I have had support in so many different areas, and through so many who shared their wisdom. What drives me to continue doing this work is paying the knowledge/wisdom forward to those who could use it during their time of struggle and journey of change / personal growth.

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

I make efforts to create a transactional type of communication environment where I listen through empathy, active listening, reflective listening, and listening for either emotional cues or thought processes that could lead to the impact of an experience. I have experienced that getting through the initial session and a few follow-up sessions helps with comfortability and the willingness to be open (open to sharing and open to be receptive to feedback). The therapeutic rapport is an important element for the therapy journey as there will be difficult experiences with building awareness, gaining insight, acceptance, adapting to changes, and learning to maintain the changes.

About Michael Brollini