RobinsonCounseling.com

Therapeutic Modalities

Areas of Counseling

Confidentiality Statement

Robinson Counseling offers counseling services to people who are psychologically healthy and who are experiencing normal life transitions, such as changes in relationships (e.g. separations, divorces, break-ups), changes in employment and career outlook, and other life changes such as health status or geographical location. If you are dealing with these or any of the following issues, I may be able to assist you:

Questions about "Who am I"
Interracial Relationships
Body Image Issues
Adult Survivors (Males and Females) of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Culture, Gender, and Ethnicity Concerns
Faith and Spirituality

Therapeutic Modalities

There are many types of therapeutic modalities. Some focus on behavior, such as Behavioral Therapy. Others focus on the affective and feeling dimension, such as Rogerian, and others emphasize the cognitive or thinking domain, such as Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy. I use an eclectic approach which means I combine a number of different therapeutic techniques in my practice.

Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy: Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) is a focus on the beliefs that underlie thinking. For example, if a person does not get a desired job and is depressed about it, REBT says that it is not the event of not getting the job that causes the depression. Rather, it is the underlying belief system, such as, "a good job defines my self-worth" or "I am nothing without a good job." This belief system contributes to sadness and feelings of unworthiness, not the event of not receiving the job.
Reality Therapy: Reality Therapy asks the question if a person's behavior is contributing to their stated life goals. If I ask you, "What are your goals for your life?" And you say to get out of debt. Reality therapy encourages you to look at your spending and saving behaviors to determine if they are consistent with the stated goal.
Existential Counseling: Existential Counseling addresses life issues related to meaning, freedom, life, death, and anxiety. Crises of faith or seeking to find understanding amidst an inexplicable occurrence, such as the death of a child or the onset of a major and devasting illnes, are issues that may best be handled using existential techniques.
Multicultural Counseling: In all situations, I respect that each client is an embodiment of multiple identities which include gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, age, religion, ability and/or disability. These identities operate simultaneously in each person's life and are unique to the individual. Some people refer to this approach as Multicultural Counseling.

These above approaches are helpful with adolescents, individuals, and couples, married and/or unmarried..

Depression Recovery - Depression is a normal reaction to loss. Although depression can be normal, it can also be debilitating and interfere with normal and daily routines. Counseling is one way to assist people in recovering from depression, which is characterized by disturbances in sleep and eating patterns, social withdrawal, weepiness, feelings of guilt, and inability to get out of bed. Sometimes, thoughts of suicide accompany depression. When this occurs, counseling is extremely important. Antidepressants, such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Wellbutrin, in addition to counseling are very effective in helping people to recover from depression.
Stress Management - Stress can occur when life presents challenges that feel overwhelming. New mothers often feel stress although they are excited to be mothers; a demanding job can be a source of stress, as can an unfulfilled relationship. Counseling provides people with an opportunity to release some of the stress through talking about it. In that way, the problem can feel more manageable.
Relationship Transition - Change is an inevitable part of life. Separation, divorce, and death are sources of pain and sadness and the transition can be difficult. Counseling is a way to experience support as one gains a new sense of direction when a valued relationship has ended. New relationships will come but there is a gap between what existed and what is. Counseling serves as a bridge.
Self-concept Transition - How we see ourselves, as a person worthy of love, as someone who is attractive, as a person who is successful, as a person who is forgiven, as a person who does not deserve love, affects the way we feel, behave, and relate to others. Counseling can assist people in identifying how they think of themselves, where they learned to think this way, and how to change this self-image.
Group Facilitation - Groups are an excellent way to interact with other people who share something in common, such as divorce, infertility, or unemployment. People can discover that they are not alone and that others are coping with similar life challenges. Mutual support is given and received.
Diversity Training- Diversity refers to race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender, class, and religion. Learning how to coexist in climates where diversity is acknowledged and valued can be challenging. With the right training and in a safe climate, people can learn how to broaden their understanding of differences.

Confidentiality Statement

Information that the client reveals to me is confidential and will not be shared with others as protected by ethical guidelines stipulated by North Carolina Board of Licensed Professional Counselors, The National Board of Certified Counselors, and the American Counseling Association. There are legal exceptions, however, to my keeping information confidential: (a) when the client is thought to be of harm to self (b) when the client is thought to be of harm to others, (c) when a minor or elderly person is suspected of being abused, (d) when a court
of law subpoenas information regarding the client.