As the Director of The Center for Healthy Relationships, I am very particular about the therapists I invite to become part of this organization. I founded The Center for Healthy Relationships after seeing a gap between the problems individuals and couples described in therapy and the solutions they were finding when seeking help prior to coming to The Center for Healthy Relationships.
I have always been committed to providing transparency as well as real, down-to-earth support, advice and pragmatic strategies that will help you understand and take control of the problems you find yourself struggling with. I believe you have the right to know exactly what strategies your therapist is using and why they are using those particular strategies.
I believe your therapist should be able to understand your struggles and provide you with education about individual and relationship development, personality, trauma and stress in order to help you see the “bird’s eye” view of what’s going on and to give you the reins when it comes to which decisions you should make during the therapeutic process.
I have seen that when you have a therapist who offers you real tools, strategies and information in response to your problems and questions, the things that confused you before begin to make sense. You begin to understand yourself more clearly and problems become opportunities rather than remaining everlasting struggles. In the case of relationship therapy, instead of seeing an adversary in your partner, you begin to understand them at a new level – and with compassion instead of fear.
Too many therapist “secrets” are really therapists not having any idea what to do in treatment. I am committed to changing that.
I made the decision to expand The Center for Healthy Relationships to include training and development of therapists based on my bias that therapy should be an excellent, enlightening experience. Yes, it is hard work. But it should also be an incredibly empowering process for you. I fully believe that relying on ongoing therapy for well-being should not be the “norm” for most people. I have seen that every human being is capable of healing – that the soul/mind/body is programmed for healing. I have witnessed the process of showing the path of healing to my clients and watching as – sooner rather than later – they become active change agents for themselves.
While I am limited to the number of people I can personally assist, the number of people who can benefit from my knowledge, experience and strategies greatly increases as I train others to walk beside you on your healing path with the same knowledge, skill and tools that I would bring to you.
Belief in your ability to heal because you are programmed to do so, belief that you need to understand the process for yourself and belief that you should be in charge of your healing process are all beliefs held in common between myself and therapists I invite into the community of professionals at The Center for Healthy Relationships. Therapists at The Center agree to ongoing training, regardless of license status or the time they’ve already spent working as a therapist. In recommending my staff, I promise an ongoing commitment to ensuring the best possible experience in effective therapy that helps you accomplish your goals.
Sincerely,
Tamara Ridge
