Do you wonder if anyone will ever understand what you going through? Do you ever wish you had a neutral person, someone uninvolved in the entanglements in your life, to process your innermost thoughts and feelings with and to explore options and solutions? Regardless of whether your current challenges seem to be part of a recurrent theme in your life or the outcome of the increasing complexity of changing experiences, I would be honored to work together with you to explore these patterns and help you to discover or reclaim your unique, healthy coping strategies. I will work together with you to identify the changes you would like to see in your life and/or in your own skill set. My goal is to create a safe and supportive space in which you feel comfortable sharing and practicing, so that you can experience the rich rewards in all aspects of your life of acceptance, self-care and peace. The thought of starting counseling and bringing another person into your healing journey can be scary. It involves a level of trust that must be earned. I am here to walk beside you as you get to the other side of feeling in control of your life, your relationships and your choices again or perhaps for the first time. Either way, "I got you" and look forward to earning your trust.

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

Even though I guide, teach and coach when appropriate, therapy focus is client-driven and will remain reflective of your values and changing needs. Although the focus is flexible and reflective of clients' needs, sessions will have some consistency in flow and routine, including the use of charting/homework to practice strategies and monitor progress. Because clients need to understand "the why " of symptoms, behaviors and interventions, psychoeducation is an important part of my therapeutic approach. So that we can monitor and celebrate progress, we will regularly review symptom checklists and other tools together. My hope is that you experience some inner peace, hope and clarity after each session as you continue towards the path of meeting your larger goals in the therapy process.

What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?

I am a strength-based therapist, who focuses on enhancing self-awareness, self-compassion and intrapersonal/interpersonal skills, using eclectic and complementary approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Narratve Exposure Therapy, Relational Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Practice and Narrative/Expressive Arts.

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

I am a compassionate and supportive therapist, who strives to listen and empower clients as the experts in their own care. I enjoy "walking with " clients in the therapy process, not as "the expert "but as the guide in helping them to discover and/or re-discover their priorities, strengths, and skills. I am flexible and responsive to the needs of clients while modeling and encouraging boundaries in a healthy yet supportive approach. I enjoy helping clients understand the normative nature of some symptoms and the rationale of treatment techniques/interventions. I consider one of my areas of strength to be parenting support and guidance, including navigating roles in changing families and learning tools to cope with developmental and behavioral challenges.

About Christine Pound