How I Work in Therapy
Dr. Adair Look, Psychiatrist—Sebastopol, CA
-
Reducing suffering and improving your life often occurs when you feel you have some control over your problems and feel empowered to change them.
To begin making positive changes, it helps to become more ‘present’ with yourself—who you are, your problems, and your strengths.
Once you’re more aware of what is happening within you, it becomes easier to see what you need to do to reduce your suffering.
When you see yourself more clearly, you can engage in doing the work to improve your well-being and have a more fulfilling life.
-
As a caring and empathic psychiatrist, my priority is to establish a strong bond with you. Building a trusting relationship is essential to ensuring you feel safe and comfortable sharing your concerns with me.
My focus is to witness your suffering by listening deeply to your concerns and offering tools for reducing your struggles while supporting and guiding you in the process.
People change in various ways and make progress at different paces. Your therapy journey will be unique to you, depending on your current situation and goals.
I work collaboratively with you, which means together, we’ll decide what you work on in therapy and the tools best suited to help you overcome your problems. Therapy is an art as well as a science. If something isn’t working, we’ll shift gears to go in a different direction.
I’m unique in that I provide therapy with or without medication management. It is beneficial to see the same professional for both.
If your family or friends need education about your treatment and how to best support you, I will gladly meet with them.
A Mind-Body Approach
As a psychiatrist trained in traditional psychiatry as well as mind-body medicine, my approach is holistic. I use a range of conventional and alternative therapy methods known to modern psychiatry. In the last decade, research in Mind-Body medicine has exploded. It has shown that when combined with Western Medicine, patients can get better outcomes. Some of the benefits of Mind-Body medicine include a decrease in stress, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. In addition, these methods have shown improvements in infectious disease, gastrointestinal illness, and cancer survival rates.
Therapy Methods I Utilize in My Practice Include:
-
Traditional Talk Psychotherapy
Helps to clarify your problems and develop solutions to them
-
Mindfulness Meditation
Assists in increasing your awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and body sensations to become more “present” with yourself
-
Aspects of CBT and DBT
These approaches help you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings and become more accepting of them
-
Approaches Based on IFS Therapy
IFS helps you become more aware of different parts of yourself
-
Biofeedback
Helps you become more aware of your breathing and heart rate as well as muscle tension. It is used to increase awareness and gain more control over your thoughts, emotions, and reactions
-
Guidance in Proper Nutrition
Help with food choices known to help with mental health issues
-
Physical Exercise and Physical Health
Both are known to be important for your overall sense of wellbeing
-
Nutritional Supplements & Medications
These are used to support psychotherapy when necessary
If You’re Ready to Get Started, Contact Me to Book an Appointment
Together we’ll assess the best approaches to use in therapy to meet your needs. Whatever your situation, I will dedicate myself to providing you with the best possible care.