I am Guy "Jeff" Powell, Ph.D., a Licensed Professional Counselor who has been providing therapy to children, adolescents, adults, the elderly, and couples for 20-plus years. I have worked with people from all walks of life. I call myself the Blue Collar Therapist because it is my belief that all people, regardless of their station in life, are worthy of unconditional positive regard and assistance with life's difficulties. I have years of experience providing therapy for individuals across the lifespan (children through the elderly) and helped these individuals with their depression, anxiety, ADHD, behavioral and aggression problems, substance abuse problems, and relapse prevention, as well as problems couples and parents experience.
My approach
I have an eclectic approach to therapy, though the most common approaches I use are Behavioral, Cognitive Behavioral, Supportive, Psychoeducational, Solution-Focused, Reality Therapy, and Interpersonal Therapy.
My focus
I Have 10 years of experience working with the elderly, and 10+ years of experience working with individuals (children, adolescents, adults) and couples experiencing depression, anxiety, problems with aggression, substance abuse, and relapse prevention, as well as, relationship and parenting difficulties.
My communication style
I attempt to create a safe environment for clients to share any difficulty they may be experiencing in life. Clients who work with me, above all else, feel listened to.
My journey to mental healthcare
From a very young age, people have been drawn to me as a person who listens and is willing to help others when they are down, or experiencing difficulties. My initial goal as a Ph.D. candidate was to be a professor, but learned in my internship what made me happy, and wanting to return to work each day, was helping people in therapy.
My goals for you
My goal setting in therapy is 2-fold. Goals are both short-term goals (from the end of one session to the beginning of the next - often called homework), and long-term goals, or treatment goals, which are mutually agreed upon to guide and measure the progress of therapy, as well as giving my client and I a goal to reach relative to an end-point in therapy.
My first session with you
My first session is largely focused on rapport-building and obtaining a description and history of their problems, or the reason they came to therapy. Rapport-building is important given a strong therapeutic relationship between the client and the therapist is essential for positive progress in therapy.