Greetings. My name’s Paul Surace, and I had been working as a full-time Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with Kaiser Permanente’s Behavioral Health program in Southern California for just about 15 years until I retired about a year ago. And part of the reason, I retired from full-time practice was so that I could take some time off to refresh, and focus more on specialty areas of therapy practice that I enjoy--- such as Work Stress , Anger Management and relational issues with partners and friends. I also enjoy working in areas of Spirituality and developing greater Self-esteem through focusing on gifts and strengths. And although I enjoy working collaboratively with my patients, I frequently will provide tips and suggestions that might assist them in making different choices in order to achieve specific goals. I also believe I have a sense of humor and more of a "straight-forward" approach to helping others.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In my first session-- I really like to ask a lot of questions with the understanding that the patient can Veto any questions that he/she doesn't feel comfortable responding to. This is because I want to keep the patient feeling "emotionally safe" and in their comfort zone. However, I will enjoy asking questions and actively listening in order to get to know the person and discover both their GIFTS and/or STRENGTHS that may eventually help us in problem solving-- and this will help us to create solutions and/or "Treatment Plans" to help solve the problem(s) that brought them into therapy.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I have a creative mind-- as I have a writing and performing background that has helped me to be very "present" and spontaneous in my conversations and discussions with patients. Better understanding of the problems and the history that served to create the problems-- or "connecting the dots" can be a helpful start in motivating patients to make different choices beyond the ones that helped them to survive difficult upbringings. But just surviving your life is not enough--- the goal for most of us would be to learn how to THRIVE (rather than just survive) your life going forward. And I have a sense of humor and optimism that I feel has been helpful in talking with patients and reminds them to "stay hopeful" even in the face of challenging situations.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I enjoy working with young adults (from 18) thru their sixties. And professionals that may be feeling a bit overwhelmed and sometimes unconfident about their career status or choices. I find that Cognitive Behavioral therapy that looks at one's thought process is especially helpful in dealing with Depression and Anxiety-- where many times the thinking is distorted (irrational) and not very helpful in changing the situation. I'm especially good at encouraging individuals to become more assertive and teach them how to get their needs met by being more direct and asking in a respectful way to get needs met-- rather than "stuffing" their feelings or having others become "mind-readers" in order to figure out why you're upset---which isn't a healthy or productive way to take care of yourself.
About Paul Surace
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Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I really enjoy interviewing my patients in order to examine and become more aware of their thinking patterns, and oftentimes I will seek to replace irrational thoughts or "stinking thinking", with more rational, logical and positive thoughts… My job would be to help the patient to come at their problems more from a calm, and logical place-- that allows them to problem solve and gets them away from a panicked and overly emotional place which then leads towards better choices to solve problems and move away from depressed and anxious moods.
Strength-Based
I like to observe and focus my patients on their strengths and the gifts they bring into the session and not just their problems. For sure, I believe that my patients are more than just their problems, and I believe that they have the skills, abilities, and perhaps some positive life experiences that we can draw upon to problem solve whatever may be the problematic issue(s) that brings them into therapy.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
I believe that many situations that bring "depressed or anxious" people into therapy-- can be resolved in 2-3 months or about 8-12 sessions. This is because I like to offer tips and tools that patients can use to make better choices in their relationships (ie. set firmer boundaries and become more assertive) or work stress situations. I have plenty of experience working with patients that have difficult work related and partner relationships-- as I facilitated both a Couples Communications Program and Work Stress Management program at Kaiser Permanente (S. California) for several years.