Bettina Lehnert

I select strategies according to what I think best addresses the needs of the person I am working with. My therapeutic approach draws from several theories. I start from what the present day issues are and I often find a thread from the past that leads people to respond to things currently in ways that are not adaptive. Resolving the issue from the past often allows people to respond better to the present. Although I find it helpful to know about people’s histories, I try to keep the focus on understanding how the past affects current functioning. If there are issues in the past that have been sufficiently dealt with and the client feels at peace with, I do not feel the need to dredge it up. I also believe that people are affected by certain deeply held beliefs they carry with them (eg. I need to be perfect, I am unworthy, I am not lovable, I am unimportant, etc…). Often these are rooted in past upsetting emotional experiences. I have helped people to let go of these destructive beliefs, so they are free to respond to the present, unencumbered by their past negative emotional experiences. I have been EMDR certified since 2002.