Carol WIlliams

LCSW

My first session involves 3 main things: 1. Introduction 2. Expounding on the intake answers 3. Earning your trust. I understand how nervous clients can be in their first session. They are about to tell some very private things to a person they just met, so they are wise to measure me against what they need for themselves. Therefore, my first session involves creating the foundation that starts with me working to earn the trust of the client. Therefore, I encourage clients to ask questions, as well as share their philosophical framework, culture, background, expectations, needs, likes, and dislikes, all of which will help the client gather information to help them trust their own intuition about me.

"What Dreams May Come" is one of my favorite movies. It explores all the things that we universally experience: Grief, loss, mental illness, and love. It beautifully balances destiny (things out of control) and free will (things within our control). It also shows how human beings are partly responsible as co-creators for the heaven and hell we create on earth, and in the movie's case, after death. Like most good art, it played into my therapy style insofar far as making sure we all remember these are lessons we learn in life and we can judge a scene in our respective lives, but from the perspective of learning and transforming our mistakes, pain, and failures into wisdom, awareness, and freedom.