Joan E. Childs, LCSW specializes in individual and group therapy through different therapeutic modalities including Encounter-Centered Couple Therapy (ECCT), PAIRS therapy, Inner Child Work, Grief Counseling, Neuro-Lingustic Programing/ Hypnotherapy, and EMDR.
Individual Therapy
I have been in private practice since 1978. As in every profession or trade, new concepts, ideas, methodologies, and insights are made all the time. I feel honored to have learned so many diversified techniques over the years from some of the finest contributors in my profession. Having a collection of so many old and new applications of treatment has allowed me to find innovative ways to help individuals, couples and families effect positive change in their lives.
People come to see me because they want to change in their lives. They recognize patterns of behavior that have caused pain to them and others. As Socrates once said, “a life unexamined is not a life worth living.” Individual psychotherapy offers the client an opportunity to examine their thoughts, feelings, behaviors and the consequences. It allows clients to understand how these patterns became an unconscious choice and at the same time provides alternative choices that are more productive and viable. Without exploration and personal examination, one continues to do “what comes naturally”, which is not necessarily healthy.
Not everyone responds the same way to each approach. Therefore, I offer several approaches to treatment that will ultimately lead to desired outcome goals. We all know that people are different. Content is different in everyone’s life. Responses are unique; minds are unique; perceptions are unique. Therefore, the treatment has to have enough diversity to accommodate not only the similarities but the differences in individuals as well. Usually, sessions scheduled once a week anywhere from six months to several years is effective for change. I do not believe in brief therapy for serious disorders. Quite often it takes years of laborious work to reprocess and retrain our brains. Fortunately, I have many techniques that serve short-term therapy well, like EMDR and Neuro-Linguistic Programing (NLP) / Hypnotherapy . However, more often, it is the time that will effect change. Therapy is expensive. Therapy is painful and painstaking. Many clients leave just when they are about to have a breakthrough. Many leave as they approach the difficult issues. So to enter therapy and expect an immediate resolution to a long-term problem is unrealistic. However, if one commits to the time, energy and effort, and is willing to face new challenges, be open-minded to perpetual possibilities, can sustain some emotional pain and can tolerate confrontation, then positive results can be obtained.
Group Therapy
Perhaps my most favorite approach to therapy is the utilization of the group process. Group acts like a microcosm of the world. It offers a laboratory setting whereby clients can receive feedback from others regarding their dynamics, thought processes, communication style, perception and other remarkable constituents in personality development. Group mobilizes change and growth faster than any other modality. It works on the principle that one horse pulls a thousand pounds; two pull three thousand pounds. By giving and receiving non-shaming, non-judgmental feedback, we learn to make changes in our perception and behavior that bring about the results we want in our lives. Ostensibly, we carry over into our personal lives the positive changes we make in the group process.
I require a six-month commitment to group therapy. There are policies and procedures that ensure positive outcomes that are explained in the beginning of the process and are reinforced throughout the experience.
Psychotherapy fees:
- 50-minute individual session: $245.00
- Double session: (2 consecutive hrs) $490.00
- Couple session (same as above for both)
- Group session (2 consecutive hrs) $85.00
- Half-Day Intensive (4 consecutive hrs) $800.00
- Full Day Intensive (8 consecutive hrs) $1500.00
- 2 – Day Intensive $3150.00
- 3 – Day Intensive $4950.00
- 5-day intensive: $7500.00
NOTE:
Discounted pricing applied to all Full Day to 5 Day Intensives.
Custom pricing may be available upon request and approval.
