It’s hard to pick a therapist, and it’s a decision that for many people gets made when they’re feeling vulnerable, tired, weak, and hurt. What is important in making a good choice?
Obviously, you want to find someone qualified, someone who knows what she is doing and who is able to do it well . . . but there’s much more to it than that. So much depends on finding a good match—someone who is kind and empathetic as well as professional, someone with the intelligence, training and skills to help you work through your difficulties, and who is also someone you can trust.
You want someone compassionate and understanding who—most important of all—will understand you, to your innermost depths. You want someone who can keep a clear focus even when everything seems murky as you try to live your way through it. You want someone who will commiserate with your struggles and help lead you through them. You want someone whose warmth does not cloud her judgment and whose clearheadedness does not interfere with her warmth.
Could I be the therapist you are looking for? I am deeply committed to the people I work with. I have experience with a wide range of issues, from bereavement and other losses to difficulties in relationships with parents, children, partners, bosses, co-workers, and friends. I have worked with people facing chronic and terminal illnesses, anxiety, trauma and depression. I can help you look inside yourself; I can guide you to practical solutions; I can provide support and the comfort of not being alone. I work in a primarily psychodynamic mode, with an emphasis on relationships and connections. Most of my patients see me once a week, but I will work out a schedule to fit your individual needs. I accept several types of insurance. If yours is not one of them, we can work together to find a fee arrangement we can both be comfortable with. What is important to me is that we find a way to connect, as I believe it is from connecting that growth and healing will come.
Dr. Ellen Siegel 