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Dr Karen Massey
Registered Psychologist |
403-390-1815
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With a convenient Southwest Calgary location
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Dr. Massey's Approach to Individual and Couple's Counselling
The philosophy of Emergo Counselling Services is that clients can "emerge" out of troubles and "go" get into action. Television shows such as Oprah and Dr. Phil are making counselling more visible since TV viewers see first hand how people can emerge out of their problems when they get psychological counselling.
Overall, there is a belief in counselling that you can change. This desire to change is why you are seeking help and reading this information to better understand counselling approaches. Our first step when we get together will be to clarify your reasons for counselling and what you want to change. Next we will explore your thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and body-held feelings, and then we will work collaboratively to develop new possibilities. You may sometimes be asked to do homework assignments, some written, some experiential, and report back the next session.
A North American phenomenon is that people are becoming more educated about psychological issues. Psychological information is being put into the public consciousness through self-help books and television programs such as Oprah and Dr. Phil. These talk shows do good work in bringing forth issues that, till recently, were considered taboo to publicly discuss. Oprah and Dr. Phil's websites, www.Oprah.com and www.drphil.com are a source of information about current psychological issues. These shows are also making it more acceptable for people to recognize they need help and that they do not need to struggle to try to make changes on their own.
Dr. Karen's counselling sessions are based on two traditional approaches-- the Humanistic Approach using the work of Dr. Carl Rogers, and the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Approach using the work of Drs. Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis.
To augment the traditional approaches and to best facilitate your change process, a number of other approaches to counselling may be used. During our initial discussions, the Hope Focused Approach, Solution Focused, and Stages of Change Model will likely be used. Depending on your interest and comfort level, Experiential approaches may be used including Relaxation techniques, Breath work, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Hypnosis, Guided Imagery, Focusing, ,Gestalt, Integrative Body Therapy, Family Constellation, German New Medicine, Theta technique and discussions about spirituality.. Throughout the sessions psychological/educational information is also provided. Providing psychologically oriented information and experiences helps you better understand the components of difficult situations and your emotional reactions so that you become more empowered to handle difficult situations in the future.
Two Traditional Approaches to Counselling
The underlying philosophy of the Humanistic Approach includes:
- You, the client, have an inherent capacity for growth.
- External and internal factors are currently blocking your potential for growth.
- There is Respect for your subjective experiences.
- There is a shared responsibility for change. Once supported in a counselling session, you can make changes because you have the personal resources for change within yourself. The counsellor helps facilitate change by creating a trusting and safe counselling environment. All of your issues are honoured and respected. These issues are seen as invitations for your further growth and learning.
The second traditional approach is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The underlying philosophy of this approach includes:
- Your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours are interconnected.
- You want to change your dysfunctional thoughts and behaviours. To change, you need help putting the pieces of your puzzle together so that you can understand the "why" behind your behaviour and what are your barriers to change.
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I still believe in Hope - mostly because there's no such place as Fingers Crossed, Arkansas.
Molly Ivins
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