Finding a good match in a therapist can be very difficult. Over the years, I have been to quite a…read morefew therapists but never felt I really connected with them -- or they with me. There have been some I liked as people, but in terms of a therapist, so many have just missed the mark. They either had their own agendas or they really just didn't listen to what I was saying. (Or, in my younger days, the fact that I wouldn't say anything.) This is not the case with Ginger Houghton at Bright Spot Counseling.
I have been working with Ginger for a couple of years now. Her approach is very gentle and accepting. I've never felt judged or shamed, and she is generous with her sprinkling of kind words and praise.
One of the best things Ginger did for me was recognize -- and label -- my anxiety. While I knew I was anxious, I'd never had a professional put a name to it and then offer a real, solid method to deal with it. She suggested medication but without judgment; she did not say "You should be medicated". Rather, she approached it gently, saying, "I don't know how you feel about this, and some people are definitely against it, but meds are one way to go."
This is Ginger's approach -- it's gentle, and made through suggestion rather than through directives. She never says "Do this!", but rather, "What do you think about this?" Or, "What would happen if you tried that?" She never judges -- just suggests -- and she gives me the space to reject her ideas without feeling that she's rejecting me.
Working with Ginger is truly a two way street; she listens, she asks questions, and she lets me ask questions. She doesn't have that stand-offish aura that some therapists have; rather, going to see her is like going to visit a friend, except that all the attention is on me. But, unlike other people I've been to, Ginger is willing to reveal a thing or two about herself, which makes it easy to relate to and trust her.
Bright Spot Counseling offers many different methods of therapy. So far, I have just done the regular talk therapy, but once the weather gets nicer, I am planning to venture into (out to?) the walk and talk therapy. Just the fact that they recognize that therapy is not a one-size-fits-all proposition demonstrates how in tune they really are with their clients. Bright Spot Counseling truly is a bright spot in my life.
