About

I believe that people are responsible for and capable of making their own decisions within the context of their environment. We are all controlled by our environment to a certain extent but we have more control that we realize. We always have freedom to choose. I believe that all behaviors are purposeful and that these behaviors are designed to meet our needs. At times, there are better ways to get our needs met which requires changing our behaviors. We are capable of learning new behaviors, of changing behaviors, and of eliminating behaviors that cause unhealthy ways of meeting needs.
I believe people's problems may arise from unfinished business from the past and, although some exploration of causation may help to clarify the connection between the past and present, most problems can be worked through by focusing on the here and now, on what choices the person has now.
I also believe that many problems experienced by people today are societal or systemic rather than interpersonal or intra-personal. Deprivation, limited access to resources, and chronic oppression due to gender, race, ethnicity, class or sexual orientation can create psychological problems.