Lisa King, LCSW

I have 37 years of work experience, including a prior career in the insurance industry and, more recently, both community and private practice social work. Being a therapist was not part of the "plan", but happened by surprise! And I'm glad it did, because it's the best decision I ever made. And, like me, you have your own story. But maybe you're new to therapy, or maybe you are a seasoned therapy veteran. Either way, it's good to know the following: Therapy is a collaborative process, which isn't always understood by people new to it. It's not where I tell you what to do with your life or magically make your problems go away. That would be great, but I don't have that power. You are the expert on you, and my job is to help you gain self-awareness and insight into patterns or relationships in your life which are no longer serving you. The truth is that initially you may feel worse after a few sessions simply because you are looking deeper into yourself, when maybe you've been avoiding doing that until now. Over time, though, as you gain more understanding of how you got to this point in your life, and identify the things that you want more or less of, you will begin to feel more confident in your own strength and innate wisdom. You will begin to find your own healthy solutions to problems that have made you feel "stuck". A big part of what I do is really really listening to what you have to say, how you say it, and observing to you when your actions contradict the values you hold dear. I do occasionally assign homework, depending on what is relevant at the time and what I think will resonate with you/get you to notice more about yourself. Homework is not always written - it could be reading an article I send, or listening to a short podcast or audio clip, or practicing a meditation somewhere quiet. It could be writing a bad poem, or chronicling the "okay or better" things that occurred throughout your day, or simply noticing thoughts or emotions that come up for you in response to certain situations. I am interactive, and at times directive depending on the situation. I rarely will sit passively without any feedback, unless you want me to. In that case, I need you to let me know that you just want your story to be heard because healthy communication is a huge part of therapy. If I don't know what you want or need from me, I can't very well address that. I am happy to listen when you need to process what is going on in your life without feeling as though you need to "fix" the problem. I try very hard to meet you wherever you happen to be at mentally and emotionally on a given day. Please feel free to reach out via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you.