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Hello, I am a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist and my name is Christine Sumner. I think it’s important to develop trust and rapport in a therapeutic relationship. I say therapists are like shoes. You shop for shoes just like you shop for a therapist. Sometimes you find the perfect shoes and sometimes you think you have the right shoes. Once you go out of the store and walk in your shoes for a while they can start hurting your feet. You throw them in a closet and forget about them. Therapy can be the same way, especially when you have some tough things to work through. You can find a therapist you love and when you start working on difficult things sometimes people want to quit. My approach to therapy is strength-based and solution-focused. I believe it’s important to take time to guide a person through difficult subjects they need to discuss. Therapy is not always easy and change can be really hard, however important when working through the things that are blocking you from feeling better. I have been in the mental health field for a really long time and have worked with many different groups of people. I am empathetic and interactive with the people I work with.
My approach
My therapeutic approaches are Solution-Focused, Strength-Based, and Person-Centered.
My focus
Typically I work with Individuals and Couples. I have years of experience working with individuals who have reported having anxiety/depression and have discovered their core issues are based on difficult childhood experiences. I’ve worked with individuals who have experienced grief and loss. Couples who are having relationship difficulties. I’ve worked with LGBTQ 🏳️🌈 populations couples and Individuals.
My communication style
I try my best to approach my clients in a calm nonjudgmental manner always. My clients refer others to me and return to me over the years I’ve been in practice
My journey to mental healthcare
It’s a long story about how I became a therapist. I can say I have personal life experiences and I was able to overcome and recover now for years. I have been in the mental health field working for years. I had a change in my work life and had to retrain myself to do different work. Due to my work and life experiences, I gravitated to the field I’ve been in now for 22 years now.
My goals for you
I always ask the client what they want from therapy and what they want to work on. Based on what we discover together I suggest the things I think they would benefit from.
My first session with you
Non-judgmental discovery of their current situation and history of their situation.
