As a Licensed Professional Counselor in the states of Texas and Connecticut, as well as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Florida, I have more than ten years' experience in helping clients with effective, fairly rapid relief from the symptoms they have been experiencing--with many telling me that they feel significantly better after only a few sessions. Before going into private practice, I worked in a variety of clinical settings, including community/public mental health, managed care, and a psychiatric hospital. Although I work with a wide range of client concerns, I work especially often with clients identifying as LGBTQ and with couples. I have over ten years' experience in treating depression, anxiety, panic attacks, substance use and addiction, and in helping clients to improve their coping skills to better manage stress when it occurs in their lives. Past clients have often described me as compassionate but also as "blunt" and "no bullsh*t" (their words--not mine), helping them to achieve results often much more quickly than other therapists they have previously had.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
During our initial session, we'll briefly discuss the intake documents you initially signed, and then I'll have you identify a specific problem, which you would like to focus upon for each session. Beginning in our first session, I'll help you to begin identifying and challenging distorted, biased thinking, which is contributing to the symptoms you're experiencing. Most clients tell me that they feel dramatically less depressed or anxious, even after only our first session together. Because our time together is limited to the time we have in session, we will also talk about ways, in which you might apply what we discuss in the first session to a situation in your life, putting our work into practice--right from the start. I think of this as akin to flexing a new muscle: over time and with enough practice, your ability to cope successfully and more confidently should become much more second-nature.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
Clients repeatedly tell me that I am easy to talk to, have a great sense of humor, and have left them feeling much more empowered. Being a gay man myself and a lifelong stutterer, I know firsthand the challenges, that come with trying to form social relationships and communicate limits to others. Helping clients to feel much more empowered to form these relationships and to confidently communicate their expectations is what keeps me passionate about my work as a therapist. I love witnessing the transformation in clients, when they finally recognize that they have no need to walk on eggshells in their daily lives.
About Brian Sharp
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
Having undergone training at the renowned Albert Ellis Institute in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I take an active, directive approach to helping clients cope with problems in their lives. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is considered an "evidence-based" approach, meaning that a substantial body of research exists, supporting the effectiveness of REBT. As a therapist using REBT in my work with clients, I teach clients to identify, challenge and replace distorted, biased thinking, which causes emotional upset and contributes to depression, anxiety, and a variety of other clinical conditions. Many clients enjoy the fairly rapid relief they find in REBT, when compared with previous therapy they may have had. Indeed, many clients tell me horror stories about having worked with past therapists, who "never helped me to actually fix anything" and "just listened." REBT takes a no-nonsense, more directive approach to actually help clients feel more in control within a much shorter duration of time.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
A related approach to Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps clients to identify, challenge and replace unhelpful thinking with more balanced alternate thoughts. I have used CBT for many years and have found it especially helpful for clients with depression, anxiety, substance use and other related conditions. This method usually results in fairly quick improvements for clients. Similar to REBT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is considered an "evidence-based" treatment and has been shown to be effective in treating a range of clinical conditions, including depression, anxiety, trauma, and many others. CBT and REBT both help clients to learn to cope with stressors more effectively by having clients to apply principles discussed in therapy in a range of real-life scenarios.
Gottman method
Having completed Level 2 training in the Gottman Method, I utilize this evidence-based approach with couples to help them reduce conflict in their relationship, increase the friendship between them, and to repair rifts in trust, which may have occurred. The Gottman Method is one of only a handful of couples therapy approaches, which has demonstrated significant effectiveness in improving relationships. As a therapist with some training in the Gottman Method, I regularly provide couples with activities to complete between sessions to help improve their communication in the relationship, argue more constructively and respectfully, and to strengthen the friendship aspects of a relationship.