Thoughts on Why My Practice is Booming.

I am getting swamped with people calling me for an appointment in my private practice.

Nice problem to have.

Why is this happening? Well, I have some thoughts, based largely on my clients’ feedback.

A lot of “therapy” feels restricted, methodical, stiff, confined, limiting, 45 minutes and out.

And read the Psychology Today therapist profiles. Mostly blah, blah, blah, stuff, I can fix everything, and work with anybody, and, I use CBT, EMDR, Brain-Spotting, EFT, NLP, eclectic this and that, BASIC ID—what the heck are you talking about?!? They’re awful.

I like my sessions to be open, conversational, real, authentic, relational, practical. I don’t get too caught up in “the 50 minute hour” (now often the 45 minute hour)—I just don’t. Often we go over the hour, and I do not “get paid” for it by the insurance companies. I’m not too worried about it.

I don’t avoid hard or painful stuff, nor do I get too caught up in it. You are more than your problems. I like solutions, positive thinking, identifying options, developing strategies for a more satisfying life, toward being a happier person in your life, your relationship, your work, and every other way.

It’s rare that we don’t laugh in a session.

I never was that “Stuffy White Guy Headshrinker”, the one who keeps his distance, and feels a little robotic and disconnected. Can’t do it. (I should mention that many clients love more reserved and conservative therapists, ones who “don’t show their cards”, and keep it a little mysterious, more formal, and have very clear cut time boundaries. If you are one of those people, you should call someone else. There are plenty such therapists to call, and I am not one of them. I have been to that guy myself–didn’t care for it…)

And I’m not going to spend hours and weeks and months in 1962, or that awful stretch in 1979, or the year of the breakup, back in ’94.

The past can be reviewed, honored, and acknowledged, without turning it into a monument or a sacrament. It’s almost 2017. We will focus more on the future than the past.

And while I respect all of the “Live in the moment” and “Power of now” stuff, sometimes “The Now” sucks, and I’m all for giving The Now a nod, and moving toward creating a “Then”, a future experience, which will be more satisfying, more joyful, more prosperous than this particular Now. I want us to look on down the road and create something better.

Anyway—business is good. The New Year will be even better, with more people making decisions to move their lives on to the next level…

I hope the New Year will be good for you, too.

Jim Nolan is a licensed Psychologist, Professional Counselor, and a licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor. None of that matters if you don’t like his way of looking at things, so read his articles and see if he might be a good fit for you. And why am I writing about myself in the third person? Hmmm…

drjamesmichaelnolan.com