I open my mind, heart and spirit as I sit before you. I see you; you are beautiful, broken, sad, lost, inspired, angry, joyful, twisted, misbehaving, succeeding, being hurt, hurting others, well, hopeful, hopeless, struggling, vibrant, lifeless, lonely, in love, wanting, wishing, giving up, trying again. You are mother, father, child, sister, brother, grandparent, lover, friend, companion, partner, wife, husband, couple, family. I commit to your well-being and will do my best to help and support you. I challenge myself to stay present with you, to be authentic in my response and care. I offer you a safe, caring place to be listened to. I am curious about you; your words, thoughts, body language, your relationships, your passions, your history, dreams, hopes, pain and sadness. I will attune to you and pay attention to the response of my body as I listen. I will share my responses, my ideas, feelings, and thoughts. I will ask you if what I am perceiving fits with what you are feeling and saying. I will take time to understand you. I will not rush to advise you or proclaim to myself or you that I can fix you. I will trust in you and our process together. I will use my evolving counseling skills, intuition and life experience to aid in your journey towards greater health and happiness. I will grow and learn from you. You will teach me about myself and make me a better person and therapist. I will challenge you and you will challenge me. I will lean in with curiosity when I feel my defenses and judgments rising. I will return to vulnerability. I will invite your authentic self to breathe, be and guide you. I will receive ongoing support from trusted allies in the counseling profession to support our work together and my growth as a therapist. I will sit with and return to compassion, mindfulness and empathy. I will let you see me and share appropriately and honestly about myself. I will maintain consistent and structured boundaries. I will take care of myself so I can stay healthy for you. I will make mistakes and keep trying. We will engage in conversational therapy where I will draw upon various therapeutic systems. I will work with mindfulness and yogic techniques such as movement and meditation. I will use music, drama and art to aid in your journey of healing. I will see your talents and inspire you to live the fullest that you can. I will be a positive force of love and care in your life.
