MY PHILOSOPHY

My Philosophy, some thoughts:



Healing dialogue is the core of  psychotherapy. Whether we “start” with a physical illness, a  a conflict with or a concern for our loved ones or friends or associates, or a brain or a physical disturbance, the starting point of psychotherapy is that it is a dedicated conversation with a purpose of relieving somebody’s suffering.



My therapy approach begins as a conversation. You and your concerns are foremost in my mind. How we come to understand your concerns and then decide what can be done to help is the focus of our meeting, though we may come to our realizations and determine our interventions in a number of different ways.



I have come to believe that words and actions are very important. I try to understand yours and those of people of most concern to you. I try to use my own words (and actions) to be most effective in assisting you, helping to “frame” our understandings of the options that might not have seemed immediately available to you, but now, with the insight of our conversation, can become tools for you to take better charge of your life.



I try to make sense of the “narrative” of your life. Not literally as a biographer might, bit mindful that “chapters” have already been “written” by virtue of our present understanding of our past experiences. The present is the moment that we choose what we will do, bringing the future into reality. I use that sense of narrative to help to empower my patients to realize that they can change the stories that are their lives by the choices and actions that they take.



My philosophy regarding psychotherapy is still evolving as I continue to read about and discuss important medical, psychological and spiritual issues  with colleagues and patients. Readers interested in additional information might wish to read some of my essays from the Your Mind Matters columns on this website.



Allan J. Comeau, Ph.D.