OKAY! A BIT ABOUT ME. I am not your average, Cup of Coffee. I am the Starbucks Secret Menu. I am genuine and honest. I do not always sugarcoat what I have to say, and I expect you to do so, as well. I am sometimes clumsy! However, I can laugh at myself. I am only human, right? If you think I am an armchair therapist who will just nod my head, and say,” Hmm! and how does that make you feel?” Then I may not be the counselor for you. I want to understand your concerns and issues that have manifested in your life. That requires me to be inquisitive and ask question of you. I will provide you with absolute positive regard! This means that I always work to understand your issues and concerns from your perspective without fear of being judged. In counseling sessions you are the Captain of the Ship and I am your guide. I will support you every step of the way. I will not abandon you! I will be empathetic not sympathetic to your situation.

The difference between Empathy and Sympathy is this; Let us say you are taking a leisurely walk, and you come upon a clear box with people trapped inside. But they are not alone! Inside the box is also worry, confusion, Fear, Depression, Anger, Sadness, grief, and despair. If you were ‘Sympathy’ you would say, “I feel so bad for you! Let me give you a shoulder to cry on and help you get out. Guess what? Now sympathy is trapped inside the box with the people and the emotions and Sympathy starts to experience all the emotions with them. Eventually, sympathy will lose all objectivity to your concerns and feelings. If ‘Empathy’ came along and saw the box it would say, “Oh no, I feel for your situation! How can I help you get out of the box? Let me look around to see if I can assist you in getting out! Empathy does not get inside the box with you. Empathy now has to get sympathy and everyone else out of the box! As your counselor I will help you get out of the box, and provide the necessary tools for you to get yourself out the box in the future.