Metaphors Be With You

 This page is meant to explain the type of counseling I do, and help you decide if I may be of service to you.

        I am Edward "Chip" Flatow.  
 MA.  LPC.  CtH.

Simply, I have 5 core beliefs.

  1.) You are not broken. You may be uncomfortable, dissatisfied, in the midst of Grief, or Addiction, even suffering from PTSD and/or physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. But you are not broken!

  2.)  People regularly experience Denial, Anxiety, Fear, Guilt, Depression, Anger, and Happiness as well, and all are valid reactions to the way we "see" situations. We experience these emotions in no particular order, and they are universal to our species. They are on our mother boards. They are part of our design. In fact, they are survival tools. They can FEEL bad, but cannot BE bad. They can feel uncomfortable, even painful. But they are NOT the problem!  Rather, they are problematic, and may be part of the solution!
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   3.)  For some, the problems are the situations which lead to the uncomfortable feelings. For others, problems arise from the behaviors attached to these uncomfortable feeling.

   4.)  Medications do but a fraction of the work for us. They make us "feel" better. It's our responsibility to understand and address the circumstances that led to the need for those medications.

5.) Our mind and body are one. They are inseparable.

  Finally, the type of therapy I practice is not meant to substitute for psychiatry or traditional medicine. Rather, it is meant to work in conjunction with both if called for, towards a healthy productive life.. 
   I make liberal use of allegory and metaphor, and in some cases humor, because the human psyche seems much more open to that kind of non-threatening communication.
    I will share stories from personal experiences, as well as some constructed simply for the purpose of illustrating a point.  After all is said and done, I attempt to bring life to a traditional therapeutic setting..  It doesn't have to hurt.  There has been enough pain already.