Ronald Cummings LMFT

I believe in complete collaboration with my clients. I believe people have some idea of what they want to acheive and I can provide help in fine tuning the goal the client wants and help identify possible steps in order to reach the goals. Usually the steps to reach the goals are where therapists can help the most since we have training and experience with this whereas many clients may not. In the first meeting I will ask for client goals along with the assessment, and then develop the steps to reaching the goals in the following session. Also, changing goals and redefining them and the steps can be done anywhere along the way as needed.

Overall, my approach to therapy is providing aid to my client so that they can function in a more healthy way in the future. First, I help the client deal with any crisis needs such as developing self soothing skills to help lower anxiety levels and active listening to provide an outlet for bottled up feelings. After this I usually utilize CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy which deals with changing thoughts and thus leads to changing emotions and behavior. I like CBT because it empowers the client to make changes in their life and how to do so in the future. I believe that clients are experts in understanding themselves. They know their own thoughts and motivations but need some help when in difficult situations that may overwhelm them.

I believe that having balance in life is important in my life and I stress that with my clients. I believe that work, physical activity, and relationships and free time should be in balance. When the balance is not kept in one area and overbalanced in another area, that area encounters stress to tell you that it is time to rebalance your life again. If it continues for a while, then anxiety and depression symptoms can develop and grow worse until you take care of the balance.

• California, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, 102716

I have worked in a variety of employment areas that have culminated in my current job as a therapist. When I was in college at UC Irvine, I worked in fast food and catering, learning how to work with people to provide a service that they needed. After college, I worked in administration at an office of a multinational corporation now called IKON Office Solutions, which went along with my degree in economics. After noting a mismatch with my desire to help people, I looked to teaching. As I worked on my master's degree in education, I gained experience by substituting and then received my degree at Azusa Pacific University and became a middle school teacher in Orange, CA. While I taught, I realized that many students were impeded from learning due to hardships they encountered at home and the outside world. After several years, I returned to school to take classes in counseling and psychology. After completing my master's degree in counseling psychology at National University and started to train as a counselor. In this capacity, I worked at a non- profit agency and a continuation school in town know as CHYBA. Upon becoming an intern therapist, I worked at Turning Point Center for Families, for 1.5 years, with low income youth and individuals in a diverse community in Santa Ana, CA. I finished my internship at Creekside Counseling in Redding, California and continued to work there for 5 years. During my time there I have worked with youth, adults, and couples with a diversity of mental health issues. Due to my own battle with panic disorder with agoraphobia, I excelled at helping those with debilitating symptoms become normally functioning individuals in society again. Furthermore, after working for years with couples, I have learned to look to address the hurts that cause the dysfunctional behavior that seems unrelated to the supposed causes of arguments.