I began my training and experience in the helping professions in my family in 1945. When I was about four years old, I began to realize it is a significant event when there is a discrepancy between what people say and what people do. I also observed that individuals in situtations that were unlikely to improve will cling and chose to stay, fearing change would be far worse. My family provided a cornacopia of diverse individuals to observe and interact with. I learned much but I realized I didn't understand why each was so different. What I saw on the outside in a person's behavior was not a very reliable predictor of their psychological/social/genetic/experiential makeup. I also learned about the power of secrets in families. What appers on the surface does not correlate with what actually happens in the family. Power and control was one of the most important aspects in relationships, although the form of the power and control could be blatantyl physical/forceful/abusive or as subtle and quiet as a look,motion, or word. However, by the time I graduated from high school I held the illusion that I knew a lot about people and psychology. In reality, I knew little even about my self and my family. The power of denial, repression, avoidance, identification with the aggressor, the desire to please to be loved and valued skewed the underlying dynamics and reality. In fact what I learned the most was transference,i.e. how I learned to think and feel on a conscious and unconscious level and behave in my family became molded, shaped, and solidified into who I was as a person. The world was not like my family. I just didn't know that! The relationship, interacting, coping, psychological, behavioral skills I learned growing up were not very effective out in the world. So my goal became to learn new more effective skills so I could become a responsible, independent, autonomous adult able to be an effective, compassionate, human being and skilled therapist.
Listed skills include Crisis Intervention, Group Therapy, Family Therapy, Psychotherapy, and 46 others.
