Lisa King

Thanks for visiting my page. Here is just a little bit about me so you get a sense of who I am as a fellow human being. I have 39 years of work experience, including a prior 19-year career in the employee benefits field and, more recently, both community and private practice social work. I was a classic underachiever in high school, doing well on standardized tests but not really taking notes or studying otherwise. Cruising along as a B/C-student. I had lousy study habits but could sit for hours daydreaming or reading "Lord of the Rings" or similar fantasy and sci-fi books without a break. I also joined Drama Club and Chorus in high school to break out of my shyness - so that took up a lot of time, too. (Read: not an athlete or a scholar). :) :) Dropped out of college at 18, and then again at 24 because I really had no idea what I wanted to do. Got married, had kids, and all those things. At 37, I was hit with an epiphany of sorts and decided to obtain my Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, graduating at the age of 42 (Summa Cum Laude! Woop Woop!), I then worked for a few years with my BSW, returning to college to graduate with my Master's Degree in Social Work when I was 49. Being a therapist was not part of the plan, but happened by surprise! I finally found something that fit me instead of just falling into insurance jobs as I'd done for the past 20+ years. In truth, I believe I always knew I wasn't meant to work for other people but having a marketable skill was crucial. And here we are. You have your own story and I would love to hear it. Maybe you're new to therapy, or maybe you are a seasoned therapy veteran. Either way, it's good to know the following: Therapy is a collaborative process, which isn't always understood by people new to it. It isn't a passive endeavor. It's not where I do all the talking or tell you what to do with your life or magically make your problems go away. That would be great (the magic part, I mean), but I don't have that kind of power. You are the expert on you; we therapists say that a LOT. My job is to help you gain self-awareness and insight into patterns or relationships in your life which are no longer serving you. The truth is that initially you may feel worse after a few sessions simply because you are looking more deeply into yourself, when maybe you've been avoiding that until now. Over time, though, as you gain more understanding of how you got to this point in your life and identify the things that you want more of or less of, you will begin to feel more confident in your own strength and innate wisdom. You will begin to find your own healthy solutions to problems that have made you feel "stuck". A big part of what I do is really, really listening to what you have to say, how you say it, and observing to you when your actions contradict the values you hold dear. I do occasionally recommend doing therapy homework, depending on what is relevant at the time and what I think will resonate with you/get you to notice more about yourself. Homework is not necessarily written - it could be reading an article I send, or listening to a short podcast or audio clip, or practicing a meditation somewhere quiet. It could be getting out for a walk or chronicling the "okay or better" things that occurred throughout your day, or simply noticing and/or writing down thoughts or emotions that come up for you in response to certain situations. The thing is this - There are 168 hours in a week. If you come to therapy one hour a week, or one hour every two weeks and expect your life to change drastically, that's like saying you want to get in shape for a marathon but you only want to practice running one hour a week. Much of the work of therapy is the stuff YOU do on the outside in your life - and that's why I "sometimes" suggest homework and hope that you take the time to do it. It's real-world practice to bring more self-awareness to who you are and what you want out of life. I am interactive, and at times directive depending on the situation. I rarely will sit passively without any feedback, unless you want me to. In that case, I need you to let me know that you just want your story to be heard and witnessed because healthy communication is a huge part of therapy AND life. We could all be better at it. If I don't know what you want or need from me, I can't very well address that. I am happy to listen when you need to process what is going on in your life without feeling as though you need to "fix" the problem. I also endeavor to meet you wherever you happen to be at mentally and emotionally on a given day. Please feel free to reach out via phone (207)572-5441. You may also find me on Psychology Today where there is a secure link to my email. I look forward to hearing from you.