Hi, I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in private practice for over 35 years. In addition, I have worked in chemical dependency treatment facilities as well as psychiatric hospitals. I am currently providing telehealth sessions for individuals, couples and families. I received my Masters in Clincial Psychology from John F. Kennedy in Orinda, California as well as a Bachelors in Food Science and Nutritional and a Masters in Chemical Engineering both from the University of California at Berkeley. I find that my diverse background in education and experience allows me to understand a boarder range of people in need of help. Although I see people for a wide range of presenting problems, I do have specialized training and experience in treating issues related to chemical dependency.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
Early in my training I found a piece of advice on the first page of a textbook written by a practicing psychiatrist particularly helpful. I continue to follow this advice 35+ years later. He wisely stated, " I find it helpful during a first session to remind myself that my main task is get to know this person." Simple, but profound. We all want to feel listened to, heard and understood. During a first session one can expect a safe, empathy and non-judgmental atmosphere. Feeling heard, understood and not judged begins the crucial process of building a rapport and people often feel some relief immediately through this process. I view therapy as a collaborative effort. During the first session we are both getting to know each other so we can together decide if and how I can be helpful to this individual, couple or family.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I was very fortunate during my early training to have several different wonderful supervisors. They each in their own way clearly stated that my job was to "tell people what others won't tell them." I believe that I am adept to seeing problems from a different point of view. My varied educational background, my many interests as well as my deep, underlying desire to help others has helped me understand people more deeply and to "meet them where they are at." I think that my biggest strength as a therapist is my sincere desire to get to know another person and to communicate this understanding in a way that the person can understand and accept.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
When people are unhappy or in pain, they are often confused and lack an understanding of the source of their pain and a direction for healing. I love helping people better understand the source of their unhappiness, dissatisfaction and pain, and to join with them in a shared journey to empower them to gain more control over their lives and achieve greater happiness and joy. I especially enjoy helping couples learn how to communicate with empathy, kindness and undertanding so that they can achieve a more satisfying relationship. Over the years through my own experiences and training, I have been able to connect with and relate to individuals, couples and families who are struggling with issues related to chemical dependency. I have felt a deep sense of satisfaction and joy in watching many individuals and family members reclaim a meaningful and happy life through sobriety.
About Tom Batter
Identifies as
Specializes in
Licensed in
Accepts
Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I have used cognitive behavioral interventions extensively in my practice for over 35 years. Our minds are constantly thinking and creating stories to try and make sense of the world we live in. Sometimes these thoughts are recurring and obessive, often generated from past experiences, which leads to stress and anxiety. With CBT interventions we can learn to recognize how these thoughts, feelings and behaviors influence each other. We will use this knowledge to alter our thought patterns which ultimately can lead to reducing stress and anxiety.
Couples Counseling
Couples therapy represents about half of my 35+ years of private practice. When doing couples therapy I focus on the interations between partners noting both the productive and unproductive interactions. The goal then is to learn communication strategies that empower both individuals to have productive and fulfillng interactions. Learning empathic listening is one of the key skills emphasized in couples therapy. Over many years I have witnessed couples learn to stop blaming, become more empathic and empowered to change unproductive and repetitive interactions into positive, loving, empathic encounters.
Existential
Existential Psychotherapy is a psychodynamic model which pays closes attention to the internal, intrapsychic conflicts that we all have both consciously and unconsciously. At the start of my career as a psychotherapist I was strongly influenced by the work of Dr. Irv Yalom, a pyschiatrist and professor at Stanford University. His book, Existential Psychotherapy profoundly influenced my training and future work. Existential Psychotherapy focuses on the existential ultimate concerns we all face which are Dealth, Freedom and Responsibility, Isolation or Aloneness and Meaninglessness. Although I may not be formally starting treatment in this modality, for long-term patients these are topics which we often encounter and explore. Exploring these concerns in therapy often helps people live more satisfying and meaningful lives.
Family Therapy
Family therapy (Couples Therapy being a subset of Family Therapy) focuses on the structure of the family and well as the interactions between the family members. Often I am trying to strengthen the parental dyad that is foundational in providing a safe environment for raising children. People are taught effective ways to appropriately and respectfully express themselves as well as learning to listen empathically to each other. In other words, listening for understanding, not for debating or winning an argument. Something that I emphasize in both family and couples therapy is that empathy and empathic listening is the foundation of all positive and productive communications. While practicing family therapy I will frequently meet with the entire family and at times meet with subsets of the family as needed. Effective family therapy often leads to better school performances and behaviors for the children and overall more peaceful and stable family interactions.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
I have practiced and studied mindfulness meditation for many years. Mindfulness, according author, researcher and teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn, is paying attention in a particular way, on purpose and without judgment. In therapy mindfulness practices often go hand in hand with cognitive behavioral interventions since we need to pay close attention to our minds to be able to understand and change our thought patterns. Mindfulness practice helps us become less reactive to our feelings and more thoughtful in our responses. Although I do not extensively teach meditation, I often introduce the basic meditation techniques to my patients and then direct them to the many resources currently available if they then chooses to broaden this practice. I strongly beleve that mindfulness is the foundational basis for all other forms of treatment since it encourages all to pay more attention to ourselves (insight) and others (without judgment) which ultimately leads to more empathy and compassion.