Therapy · Jason Weber Therapy

Why Therapy?

We seek the assistance of a professional counselor when we are experiencing elevated discomfort – emotional pain, fear, confusion, loss, or some other vulnerability. The initial risk of therapy may be the risk of letting yourself be known and seen, perhaps more fully than you usually would allow. This takes real courage, and if you are getting ready to take this step, don’t be put off if you feel anxious. Going forward while feeling anxious is a good definition of courage!

Many people discover that therapy is something they enjoy. This may be because we like to be safe and protected, while also in a position to observe — to see what’s going on, at close range and in the distance. Kids in a treehouse enjoy this dynamic, as do tired parents who choose a table in a corner of a restaurant, where they enjoy privacy but also people-watching. Architects design these situations into their buildings — opportunities for both refuge and prospect. Actually, within the first or second meeting with a therapist who is a good person to trust, you might expect to experience both of these: Refuge is the experience of feeling safe and understood. Prospect is the experience of gaining a more accurate and meaningful view of your concerns.

The initial risk of therapy is the risk of letting yourself be known and seen, perhaps more fully than you usually would allow.

When client and therapist are connected and comfortable, therapy becomes a space where we can be very effectively curious about ourselves and the patterns in our lives. We learn to make wise use of the perspective we gain – for ourselves, for the people in our lives, for the world we encounter each day.

8 Points to describe my approach

Established theories and techniques guide the work of modern therapy. I take an integrationist approach. It blends a number of ideas, theories and techniques — the ones I’ve found useful in the process of learning and practicing. These include cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, emotion-focused therapy, interpersonal processing, dialectical-behavioral therapy, feminist theory, multiculturalism, and some (but not all) psychodynamic theories about how past experiences shape one’s self-concept. But I’d be surprised if that gave you a useful idea of how I work with people!

Read this 8-point list to better understand my approach:

Good therapy is also unique therapy. I customize my approach and respond to your concerns, taking into consideration your goals, personal strengths, cultural identities, support systems, and circumstances.

Therapy is a collaboration, and our combined strengths will shape our work together.

My experience allows me to function as a Guide. Being a Guide means that I’m able to improvise, shifting between leading and following in our conversations. I can put into words the essence of where we are in the process, and this creates a map with points of interest and destinations.

The focus tends to zoom in and zoom out. We zoom in when we talk together about you as an individual, and we zoom out when we consider the outside forces impacting your life.

Outside forces can be historical, including the oppression and exploitation of people based upon traits like age, gender, size, appearance, education, wealth, and sexual orientation. Being a therapist who devotes energy to understanding these realities positions me to be an Ally to people with many different identities and experiences.

It can be useful to notice what clients are experiencing “in the room,” and make it comfortable to give voice to current thoughts and feelings. It’s ok for us to experience silence while you pause to sense your inner world.

Most people are conditioned to feel concern about being “too emotional.” As a therapist who values the good things that can happen when we allow our feelings to surface, I’ve learned to create safety for people do this, so they may experience a deeper, more respectful self connection.

I know about and practice a number of things that positively influence mental and emotional health. I like to offer suggestions as “experiments” to try out for brief periods of time, so we can evaluate them based on your experience, and adjust them as necessary.