I’m going out on a limb here, but I’m don’t believe most emotional issues have to last a lifetime. Clients come into my office all the time saying they’ve been given a diagnosis–usually by a medical person–and told that whatever behavior they are dealing with is disabling and unchangeable. It will last a lifetime.
I’m not a big fan of not being able to fix stuff…and my stuff, I mean myself. Same goes for you. I want you to be able to make your life better. That’s my job. I’d like to help you make better decisions, to understand yourself and others and to express yourself when appropriate.
I want to help you listen better. Really listen. If you do this, people will gravitate to you. We humans like to be heard and like those individuals who hear us.
My goal is to work myself out of a job. I tell my clients this and I work to help my supervisees do this. I don’t want you to need me forever. It’s not my focus to primarily help others to accept that this is just the way you are, take it or leave it. I don’t have this goal because, honestly, lots of people will leave it and you’ll lose relationships you want.
Most of us want similar things–we want to feel important. To be considered and enjoyed. We want the people we like to like being around us.
This all requires you to learn how to negotiate emotional issues, both those within and those in relationships. I approach all my clients with the belief that you can do this. You are fully capable of addressing the challenges you face. Yes, you need a helping hand to sort it all out, as we all occasionally do.
As you might have concluded, I’m not a fan of long-term emotional disability. I’m in the business of helping you get back to handling your life.