Future-Focused Therapy

There's a truism in psychotherapy: You already know what you should do, but you don't know how. Pondering this, what I have observed in my work is that most people do know what to do, and even how to do it. The difficulty is in following through.

There’s another part that presents a barrier to making changes and making those changes permanent. Here’s a common example. “David” knows he wants to break off his unhealthy relationship. It’s not going anywhere and there’s a lot of drama. He’s thought a lot about how best to do this and has a plan in mind. But what stops him is fear of uncertainty and fear of being alone; the “what happens after” the “how to do it” part. What if he never meets another partner? What if he regrets it? So many what-ifs, so many fears and anxieties that he can name and the dread that bubbles up that he can’t put words to. The relationship, with all the pain it causes to them both, is at least familiar.

The superpower that he needs, that everybody needs in order to make changes big and small is Tolerance. The ability to tolerate anxiety and to tolerate uncertainty leads to a happier, fuller life, and prevents relapse.

I provide future-based therapy, focusing on the choices you get to make, how to act on those choices and most importantly how to support yourself through ambiguity and uncertainty so feeling good becomes the new normal.