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My name is Douglas Burton and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I have a client-centered approach and primarily work with individuals on adjusting to issues within their lives and finding ways to cope with unexpected changes. I have also worked with couple and families.
My approach
My primary approach is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as it helps clients recognize thought patterns and behaviors that may hinder progress, as well as may issues worse at times. I am client focused and believe that the client is the expert on him/herself and my goal is to help guide you through situations by providing insight and addressing issues I may notice during our sessions. I also use the Family Systems approach when it seems that some familial issues may be affected your current situation. I have used Motivational Interviewing and Dialectical Behavioral Theory as well when I found it necessary.
My focus
I work primarily with adults, as well as adolescents. My clients have typically dealt with abrupt changes in life (job loss/change, relationship loss, death, etc) that have lead to various feelings such as depression, anxiety and possibly trauma. Clients may not have a strong support system, or a support system that is not effective during this difficult time. I have been successful in helping many clients deal with these issues and move forward with a stronger and more balanced sense of themselves moving forward.
My communication style
I have a very open and, initially inquisitive approach. I am comfortable sharing appropriate information about myself to help clients feel more comfortable and am very open to feedback regarding my approach and how clients feel treatment is going. If communicating electronically or by phone, I reply within 24 hours.
My journey to mental healthcare
After leaving the military, I wanted to become a teacher. However int he environment in which I taught, I recognized many students needed extra assistance outside of school to be able to focus during class. This led me to work with youth in other settings such as group homes, juvenile halls and community care. I found that becoming a therapist would help me become more effective in this field and reach more people.
My goals for you
I like to build a relationship with clients to find out what their current needs are. Once we have established this, I help the client discover what resources s/he has to have these needs met and develop goals that incorporate the use of these resources to meet the client's needs.
My first session with you
I like to be fairly casual during the first session and get to know the client. I ask about why s/he would like to receive therapy and go over some of the issues s/he are experiencing. I also encourage questions and explain my approach to therapy.
