I believe the role of a therapist is to be more than a reflective and empathetic companion in the client’s journey and must also incorporate directive approaches in order to alternate between being a companion and being a leader on that journey. Inherent in this belief is that clients are coming to therapy because they want something different than what they currently have. This can be as simple as a new perspective on a past or current struggle or as complex as a new skill set for managing and overcoming emotional, behavioral, cognitive, relational, or somatic patterns that have arisen in response to emotional distress. My theoretical orientation is rooted in Systems Theory and I utilize interventions from Family Systems Therapy, Internal Family Systems, CBT, DBT, Motivational Interviewing, ARC , Somatic Psychology, and Mindfulness Based Psychotherapy.