DeAne Matthew, LMHC
::: waves to you :::
Individual and Relationship Counseling Services for Adults
Individual Counseling
In individual therapy, my focus at Live Life Counseling and Consulting is to guide you in resolving the issues that brought you to counseling and to help you establish or reestablish your life as a thriving, nurturing person. The first step is to help you recognize the goals you seek to achieve. Then, using therapeutic yet mindful methods, my service acts to enliven and release the forces of positive growth already present within you. You accomplish your goals and grow beyond negative patterns from the past, empowered to move forward with freedom in your life.
However, many times people find that the initial reason why they are seeking counseling is merely a symptom of a deeper or more ingrain psychological issues or pattern. All of us want to feel good about ourselves and about everyone around us each and every day. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always work that way. Some of us struggle with unhappy spouses or partners, challenging kiddos and coworkers, high levels of anxiety, issues from past trauma, bosses demanding more work for less pay, not enough money and unforeseen crises from time-to-time etc etc etc. It seems like the end of the world when it happens and sometimes all we want to do is crawl away, stay in bed, and hide!
But hiding solves nothing! All it does is prolong pain and emotional anguish. Sometimes you just need someone to talk to in a relaxing environment and a therapist (Me!) that can help you see that things are manageable, will work out in a manner that brings satisfaction and that emotional pain does not have to be a daily part of your existence. I will guide you on focusing on what you can control and process through thought patterns that creates barriers to foward movement while establishing an open dialogue approach to yrou concerns. Individual therapy can help you identify and face life issues from the past in a healthy way so that you live your life today in a manner that is more satisfying to you now and in the future with alignment of values and emotions.
Relationship Counseling
Relationship Counseling is available at Live Life Counseling to all partners regardless of age, race, sexually orientation, gender identities or background. We respect and work with partners who are in traditional or contemporary relationships as well as individuals who live alternate lifestyles or who practice Ethical Non- Monogamy.
One of the goals for most relationship counseling sessions is to build effective communication between all members; something that was not quite there before. Sometimes there are also individual problems that may be better treated in individual therapy while continuing with relationship work on a less frequent basis. Learning how to maintain your personal identity and formulating separate relationship identity is one of the keys to achieving a healthy balance in a romantic relationship(s). I often refer to the the various relaitonship identities in my practice and look forward to exploring this concept with you further!
By examining and highlighting the unconscious dynamics that individuals in a relationship(s) are engage in, the conflicts become reduced. More awareness is usually achieved, and the groundwork is set for healthier functioning and increased positive emotionality.
Conversation and learning how to truly listen, process, and then respond can allow people to feel more connected, validated and understood by their partners despite having emotional or life stressors. More and more couples want to understand why their relationships are stressed. Relationships can be difficult, especially when modern society allows so many different definitions of what a relationship can and should be. We have reality TV shows and social media that tell us how to love, how to communicate, how to be romantic and ultimately how to fight. Yikes! These are not always healthy depictions of normative interactions. Since it is not uncommon for partners to realize that they have different expectations based on what society has “told them”, relationship counseling helps bring people together in order to discuss these dynamics in a therapeutic environment. Dilemmas and challenges will arise throughout the course of every relationship, and so all relationships have the potential to benefit from counseling. It’s no mystery that individuals tend to blame their partners sometimes for the problems in their current relationship. However, it is much more difficult to identify the challenge each individual faces. It’s a simple equation: each individual is responsible for their own behavior and response to issues and conflict.
Again, relationship counseling can help people in almost all situations and doesn’t just apply to dysfunctional or unhealthy situations. Obtaining knowledge and understanding one’s personal role in conflict / communication patterns are some of the initial goals in counseling. I approaches each relationship system’s concerns in an individualized manner and then guide each member of the relationship in learning how their personal identity impacts the various identities in the relationship. It is okay to say, “My relationship can improve”. It is up to you to envision a better relationship and counseling can be such a positive step towards you living the life you want in your relationship. Thats why our motto is: