I have written this to introduce myself, provide some clarity on who I am and how I provide therapy, and help you know what to expect when working with me. One therapist is not the same as another. Therapists have different levels of education, experience, interests, personalities and have experienced different levels of personal work and growth in their own lives. As a client, you will find that therapy with one therapist will be very different than therapy with another.
I enjoy laughter in my sessions. I tend to approach clients with a light heart and encourage my clients to use humor to help them get out of the survival brain (which tends to be very serious) and into their thinking brains where real change can ignite and blossom.
I am intuitive and spiritual in my approach with clients. I like to create a meditative environment where my clients can be reflective and self-aware. I listen carefully with an open mind, reflect back honestly what I hear, try to be a sounding board and thought partner, stand behind your goals when possible, and stay constructive and practical. I will share what I know about treatment and current research in your topic of concern.
I tend to be good at seeing the bigger picture of my clients lives and helping them to "back up" enough so they can see it too. My graduate training is in systems theory, which is very different than the linear thinking that most theories use. Systems theory considers the many variables in your life and how they interact with each other. In using this approach, I teach my clients how to use expansive thinking, which is multidimensional rather than linear. As you practice this type of thinking your ability to see and understand more about yourself and your life tends to improve greatly.
I am principle-based in my approach with my clients. I act as a thought partner to help my clients think through their situations and base their decisions and actions on principles, rather than emotional reactions. This can be challenging work, as it can be tough to let go of reactivity. However, I find that by challenging my clients to think through their issues they tend to embrace a more principled and conscious way of life with gratitude.
As I have spent the last 17 years working as a therapist in the smaller center of Lloydminster, I have become a "generalist" in my approach. Meaning that I am accustomed to seeing people with a wide variety of challenges and I have gathered a large network of therapeutic strategies in many modalities to address the challenges of my clients.
What is distinct about me as a therapist is that I have focused much of my continuous education on the psychology of sports performance and mental skills for athletes. In my own life I played elite hockey until the age of 23. Most of my early life revolved around practice, discipline, and finding ways to be the best I could be at my game. As a result I have developed quite a passion for performance strategies and love to help clients work on their own game, whether that be hockey, sport in general, or a career and family focus. I have learned that the same performance principles can be applied to the game of life; work, marriage, raising a family, and keeping your head above the water, so to speak. I started out my working career in the oilfield in Lloydminster while playing hockey. I didn’t turn my focus on psychology until my mid 20’s. So, I’ve had a variety of life experiences which helps me to understand my clients in a deeper and multi-varied way.
I generally try to book sessions every 2-4 weeks, depending on both of our schedules.
People ask me how many sessions would be needed. That answer depends on what you are looking for. The following is a general guide.
1-5 Sessions – To address your current situation and find a game plan/strategy to move forward in a positive way.
1-12 Sessions – To address current situation/develop strategy AND look deeper into the root causes of the issues to help resolve them at a deeper level.
Maintenance Sessions – These sessions can be 1/month to once or twice a year. The purpose is to check in and reflect on your current situation and state of mind to help navigate forward in a positive and conscious way. I invite clients to return to counselling anytime they feel they need a check in session or anytime something challenging comes up in their lives. Many of my clients have come to therapy on and off for many years, whenever they feel the importance of returning. Having a thought partner tends to be quite useful to help navigate forward productively.
I provide both individual and couples sessions. I also provide trauma therapy for those interested in going deeper into their emotional reactions and emotional residue from the past.
The goal of my style of therapy is to challenge clients to shift out of emotional reactivity and into a principled and proactive way of life. The ultimate goal is to help my clients raise their level of consciousness so they can truly see the world and themselves in a different way. Alignment between your principles and life choices is the broader goal. I help my clients become more defined, clear, and honest with themselves so they can be more defined, clear, and honest in their relationships and the world around them.
I try to stay in a state of gratitude for every client that enters my office. I appreciate the opportunity to connect with people at deeper levels and the opportunity to support people with improving their lives.
Sincerely,
Dean Beattie, M.Sc. R. Psych.
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