Cristina Fandino Ed.D., M.Ed., Lic., OACCPP

Life is not what it's supposed to be. It's what it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference. - Virginia Satir

Psychotherapy is a fascinating profession. Many different clients with very different issues ask me why others come into therapy and why it is these others choose to come to me. Typically these questions come after we have established a deeper trust by exploring the feelings that underlie why they are coming.

Often a crisis leads us to seek help. Finding out unexpectedly that a spouse is having an affair, having a family member recently diagnosed with a ravaging illness, or the death of a loved one are common examples.

Many others seek help to deal with more specific and ongoing problems like feeling depressed or anxious, having a teenage daughter or son acting out at school or at home, experiencing problems at work, or someone feeling that the marriage is not working as it should be - and these are but a few examples.

However, you don't need to have a serious problem. Feeling dissatisfied with your present life or just wanting to reach your full potential as a human being is a very good reason for therapy.

Therapy can assist in changing how you think, manage your life or relate to others. Not all therapies are alike. At times you may need longer or shorter length of therapy. An approach or strategy that helps you to resolve an issue will not be adequate to dealing with a different matter.

So this brings me to the second question-why do people choose me for help? I do believe that it is the way an individual copes with events in life that makes the difference in how they face them, which will prove how resilient they are. Events in my own life have tested and challenged me in many ways , and proven to me how useful connecting with a genuine personality can be.

I benefited from working as a client in my own psychodynamic process and learned to understand how important it is to have our feelings and thoughts listened to and received with compassion and interest. A secure base for such exploration and discovery is what my clients seek. Feelings are so important that in the end the best person for us is the one we can feel most comfortable with. After all, how can we be at our best without reliable relationships?

While success in psychotherapy requires commitment in terms of time and the desire to work through personal issues at stake, its rewards are high. Overall, therapy helps to reduce daily tensions and stress, to achieve a sense of balance and fulfillment, and to find meaning and purpose in life.

As a psychotherapist, my experience is in:

• Depression
• Trauma
• Relationship issues
• Anxiety, stress, fear
• Pain and loss
• Chronic illness
• Work or life dissatisfaction
• Multicultural issues

Please feel free to contact me for a free exploratory consultation. For further information, you may wish to visit my website. My principal office is located in the Beaches (click here for a map) but I also provide counselling via telephone or videoconference. I will be very glad to assist you.