Amy Cole
Amy Cole is a Licensed Professional Counselor from Dallas, Texas.
What sort of therapy practitioner are you?
I see individuals, couples, families, and employee assistance referrals. I use an integrated approach with my clients, using CBT as my primary approach with others integrated in.
How long have you been practising?
4 years as a Licensed Professional Counselor. I have 20 plus years as a human services worker.
Do you see clients from home or in a clinic?
Neither, I am in a shared counseling office.
What problems/issues do you treat most frequently?
Depression and self esteem.
What are your biggest frustrations running your practice?
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What do you find hardest about your daily work?
Nothing, I love my daily work.
Do you find your professional body supportive and helpful? Do they help you create connections with fellow therapists?
I am inactive in more professional organizations, I create connections with fellow practitioners through social media.
How do you balance work and life?
I try to walk my dog, to take photographs, to schedule and be intentional about my time away from the office. I don’t think about my clients away from my office.
What frustrates you most about the way mental health is dealt with in your country?
The lack of understanding and the stigma that is attached to individuals with mental health issues. For being an educated country, we still have our stigmas which in my opinion come from ignorance.
Can you tell us about your most uplifting experience treating a recent client? (anonymously of course!)
I had a client while working with an agency who was severely depressed. She was so down and kept going through the same cycle of depression. One night in reviewing her chart with her in session, I pointed out that 2 therapist (I was number 2) had worked with her on the same issues for the last 3 years. It was time for her to change. I used “tough love” and informed her she was getting out of therapy what she put in to it and it was time to “shit or get off the pot.”
Well, she didn’t take it well that session but over the next 3 sessions, dramatic change occurred. She began to dress up, wear make up, she reported she stayed up during the day instead of sleeping, she was looking for work, etc. I don’t think I had anything to do with it, but she finally saw herself she needed to change and she began doing so. It was exciting and uplifting for me.
Read Amy’s blog A Counselor’s Day.
Pictured above: Amy Cole’s therapy room.
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About Mark Tyrrell
Psychology is my passion. I've been a psychotherapist trainer since 1998, specializing in brief, solution focused approaches. I now teach practitioners all over the world via our online courses.
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