I don’t believe that one theory fits all, much like not all of us look great in yellow. I know I don’t. Therefore, I try to focus therapy on the feeling that brought the patient in the office and go from there. It is somewhat challenging at times because it is difficult to name out emotions but oh so rewarding when we learn about ourselves and what is going on that we are acting a certain way. That is when we can modify behaviors and learn from our experiences.
Multicultural Psychology, Adolescents, Mood Disorders
I try to achieve an environment where the patient feels safe and comfortable. Life already has enough challenges. I aim to help my patient feel like they can talk about their issues without fear of judgment or stereotypes.
As far as I can remember I’ve always been curious about how things work. As a child I liked playing with legos and building puzzles. It has always fascinated me. I have also liked listening to people and their issues. I even often got in trouble for giving unsolicited advice. As a teenager I found that Psychology encompassed all the things I liked, helping patients put the puzzle together to understand and overcome issues by providing psychoeducation and helping them learn new strategies so they can create something from their experience. And now they are actually asking.
I like to read a lot so I spend a lot of time adding new books to my collection and then reading them. It’s funny but I am trying to reduce this somewhat and spend more time binging on Netflix. I am also a movie buff so I go to the movie theater a lot and try to be up to date. Of course spending time with family and friends is important too so I make plans to go to a restaurant every now and then or have friends over for dinner or movie night.
My favorite movie has to be Gone with the Wind. Some people have told me that it’s an odd choice because of the topics addressed in it. However, what stands out to me other than the cinematography, hand painted landscapes, and the attention to detail, especially for a movie made in 1939, is that it presents a female lead that is confident and so certain of what she wants that she is willing to go against the role society expects of her even in the middle of a war in order to fight for it. Then when she realizes that what she wanted and what she needed weren’t the same thing she still doesn’t give up and says that she’ll keep trying because tomorrow is another day.
I have actually thought about this for sometime. If I wasn’t lucky enough to work on something that I’m so passionate about what would I be doing instead? My answer so far is, I would be a writer. Remember when I said I love to read, well I also like to make up stories and exercise my imagination every once in a while. I guess it is something I could still do. Who knows one day I might give it a go.
