COUNSELING
In order to enable the individual child, adolescent, adult, couple, or family to live a more satisfying life, Empowering Families provides some of the best professional counseling services available, in a timely fashion and at an affordable price to all who are hurting or experiencing difficulties in life or their relationships. The goal of counseling: What to expect from your counselor:
What counseling is:
Simply put, counseling is one person helping another better understand and solve a life problem. In counseling we look at things about ourselves that we would like to change.
Counseling is a growth or healing process in which individuals, couples, and families are helped to:
- express themselves in a safe, supportive, non-judgmental climate and way
- identify and clarify problems (past & present) and consider options for the future
- identify non-helpful, harmful or destructive life patterns
- learn, more appropriate and more helpful ways of coping
- identify and achieve goals that are important to them
The ultimate goal of counseling is to help you recognize and accept your own true worth, examine your learned habits, thinking about life and learned behaviors (including your feelings, physical responses, and actions) and to bring them all together so they make sense to you.
You can expect someone who is interested in listening to your concerns and in helping you develop a better understanding of yourself so that you can deal with others more easily and effectively. Your counselor will take you seriously and openly discuss anything you wish to discuss. Except under specific circumstances, your counselor will maintain strictest confidentiality and openly discuss any exceptions to confidentiality with you.
Counseling focus:
The focus of counseling is YOU, the client and not others. Counselors have no "magic wand" or special abilities to solve your problems for you. Your counselor will work with you, but won't do for you what you are capable of doing for yourself.
Your responsibilities:
Your responsibilities in counseling are to attend your scheduled sessions, talk about what is bothering you as openly and honestly as you can and complete any assigned "homework." You are expected to inform your counselor in advance if you are unable to keep an appointment. You will probably be challenged in counseling to try something new or to take a "different approach" to your problems and be expected to be willing to experiment and try things without prejudging the outcome. You are also expected to let your counselor know when your problems have been resolved and also if you don't feel like you're making any progress. Your counselor is most interested in you benefiting from your counseling.
Common difficulties:
The first, and most difficult part of counseling is the initial decision to seek help and to decide to attempt a change. Once this decision is made, the mechanics for change are set in motion. In the process of changing the way we think, feel or behave, we usually must try new ways of thinking and behaving. This is sometimes frustrating and may produce a little anxiety. During the course of counseling you may come to realize that things you once thought of only as a positive or a negative may begin to look different. The challenges of pushing your limitations may also cause frustrations, but with commitment and practice, you can stretch your limits and find new and exciting aspects of and about yourself.
How to benefit the most:
Be ready to focus on one specific problem or issue at a time, be prepared when you come to your sessions, attend all scheduled sessions and take an active part in them. Complete (or at least attempt) any "homework" and tell your counselor if you don't think you're being helped.
To schedule an appointment:
For more information or to schedule a counseling appointment, call our office in Ventura at (805) 644-2771 or email us by clicking here: Empowering Families .
CHILD CUSTODY MEDIATION
If you are going through a divorce and have children, keep the focus on what is best for them and the decisions about them in your hands, don't turn a child over to a cold, seemingly uncaring legal system and don't get side-tracked on what went wrong in your marriage. Child Custody Mediation reinforces the idea that while a divorce ends your marriage, it does not disolve your relationship with your children.
What child-custody mediation is:
Simply stated, child-custody mediation is a trained and competent individual helping two parents better understand and solve their joint problems involving child custody issues after separation. In child-custody mediation the mediator is usually a mental health, child custody expert with a deep understanding of the emotional needs of a child and a working understanding of Family Law and the local court rules.
Private child-custody mediation:
Private child-custody mediation is one way of reaching a fair child custody and visitation agreement (Parenting Plan) without court involvement. It's a way of determining the best interest of your child without being dictated to by a judge or other court personnel as to how you are going to share your parenting time. It's a place to decide how you are going to continue to be involved as nurturing and supportive parents in your new reorganized family.
What to expect from your mediator:
Your mediator is interested in listening to YOUR concerns and in helping YOU develop a better understanding of yourself and the emotional and developmental needs of your child so that you may together make the child custody decisions that are truly in the best interest of your child. Your mediator will take you, your concerns and your desires seriously and will openly discuss anything you wish to discuss about child development and custody. Except under specific circumstances, your mediator will maintain strictest confidentiality about you, your child and your family and will openly discuss any exceptions to confidentiality with you.
Your responsibilities:
Your responsibilities in mediation are to attend mediation sessions, talk openly and honestly about what your child custody and visitation concerns are and what you want for your child. You are expected to let your mediator know in advance if you are unable to keep an appointment. You will probably be challenged in mediation to consider something other than your "ideal" solution and you will be expected to be willing to ernestly "consider" various options without jumping to conclusions or prejudging the outcome. Your mediator is most interested in YOU making the decisions about YOUR child and your child benefiting from those decisions.
Common difficulties:
The first, and most difficult part of mediation is the initial decision to sit down with the other parent to attempt to work together in the best interest of your child or children. Once this decision is made, the mechanics for developing a working plan are set in motion. The second most difficult part is deciding to set your past history with the other parent and the associated emotions aside during the process and focus solely on what's best for your child.
In the process of mediation, you will be presented with many options for shared custody; be open to considering each one before deciding against it. This can make some parents anxious or frustrated. During the course of mediation you may come to realize that things you once thought of only in a positive or negative way begin to look different now. The challenges of pushing your limitations may also cause frustrations, but with commitment to the process you can stretch your limits and find new and exciting aspects of and about yourself and accomplish wonderful things for your child.
How to benefit the most:
Focus on your child and be prepared when you come to your sessions. Know what you want and what you will not accept for the benefit of your child. Be open to honestly consider any other options presented by either the other parent or the mediator. Attend all scheduled mediation sessions, taking an active part and show respect for the other parent whether or not you think they are deserving. Tell your mediator if you need to take a break in mediation or if you think progress is not being made.
To schedule an appointment:
For more information on mediation or to schedule an appointment, call our office in Ventura at (805) 644-2771 or email us by clicking here: Empowering Families .
