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About
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Most clients want to know if I am the right fit for them.
Unless you have been in therapy before, it is easy to rely on popular ideas of what therapy is.
Either it will be like Lucy from Peanuts telling you, “snap out of it, five cents please,”
Or
It will be lying on a couch and talking about your earliest memories while the therapist smokes a pipe.
Even if you have been to therapy before, your experience with me will be unique because so much of the value in therapy is the person delivering the service.
Oh, and I don’t smoke a pipe – although I listen more than I talk, I won’t tell you to just snap out of it.
Therapy takes Work.
~ I was angry when I arrived, but I have more understanding as I’m leaving ~ That’s Therapy!
If a client comes in angry at what their marriage partner has done, we may discuss what your perspective is. My responses will help you: analyze your own beliefs and thoughts, answer questions you may have been avoiding (because it’s easier to pretend the problem isn’t there) and provide you with an outside view into your own (possible) insecurities.
In my 10,000-hours plus of providing therapy, I can count on my fingers how many times a person left my office feeling happy. The most common statement I hear is, “You have given me a lot to think about.”
I don’t always leave you feeling happy, but I do my damnedest to ask the right questions – and sometimes they are hard. I ask you what you think is a good decision and try to guide you in the best direction.
I will prompt you to organize your feelings and understand the root of them. I am here to help you make sense of the emotional chaos we call life.
Read the Books Your Mentors Read
I read weird books. I am currently working my way through Aristotle as I journey through the Great Books of the Western World. The reason I do this is because I am a therapist. The issues we deal with today were the same issues humans dealt with 2,000 years ago. That blows my mind. And yet people much smarter than me have already given deep thought as to how to live a virtuous life.
From my perspective, it is only fair that I build my wisdom and knowledge to then share with my clients. It’s no longer just me sitting in the room with you, but it’s all these other smart people, too!
Getting Back into Powerlifting and Strongman Competition
We all need something to center us; for me that is lifting heavy objects. Henry Rollins has an essay titled “Iron and the Soul” which speaks to the very heart of why my physical strength is so valued by me.
“It took me years to fully appreciate the value of the lessons I have learned from the Iron. When the Iron doesn’t want to come off the mat, it’s the kindest thing it can do for you. If it flew up and went through the ceiling, it wouldn’t teach you anything. That’s the way the Iron talks to you.” – Henry Rollins
Utilizing the Iron is a metaphor for therapy – “I learned that nothing good comes without work and a certain amount of pain.” – Henry Rollins. And the pain is there for us to learn from. Just as touching a hot iron tells us we have been injured, so does our emotional pain. It is telling us we need to pay attention and grow as a person.
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About Me
My last name is Syc – pronounced “Psyc.” I was destined to become a therapist.
In all seriousness, though, I went to UConn to become a psychologist. Important people such as my own father observed that I was good with people and should become a psychologist. I was able to work with some phenomenal psychologists on their research teams and as President of Psi Chi.
Although psychology was important to me, I wanted more life experience before I considered being a therapist.
So, I veered off-course slightly to get my first master’s degree in Organizational Psychology.
I then had the opportunity to work in various Fortune 500 and Fortune 10 organizations. I had interesting roles and interacted with a diversity of people. I also knew if I wanted to become a therapist I had to experience it myself.
I went to therapy.
“You are being manipulated.”
This statement hit me like a 100-mph hurricane wind. I think I lost my breath for a moment.
“But what do you mean,” I asked.
My journey on self-insight began.
I committed myself to the process.
But my life was not congruent… at some point, my therapist and I were discussing my career. She suggested I investigate becoming a social worker.
Hmm… my life was coming around full circle.
Being an Introvert has Value?
I went to an informational at the UConn School of Social Work… and one of the professors who would eventually become a dear mentor made the statement – “Introverts are uniquely adept at group therapy.”
That piqued my interest.
Don’t I Have to Talk a Lot to be a Therapist?
It turns out there is a hidden secret that makes me a good fit for the field of therapy. I am used to listening more than I talk; it’s called being an Introvert. My introversion helps me empathize and identify connections while you weave me through issues you may be encountering.
I am thinking with introspection and solving the puzzle to look for patterns. It is reflective.
I Wear Hearing Aids
This may seem like an odd thing to disclose but let me tell you why it is important. It forced me to be acutely attuned to individual and group social cues – the nonverbal behaviors of everyone around me.
In therapy, having this high intuitive skill makes me good at reading cues and nonverbal subtleties.
By taking in the words spoken with body language, I can identify if they are congruent. Being in tune with the full range of communication helps me identify deeper emotional issues that even the client may not be aware of.
This provides a powerful tool for clients to increase their self-awareness and insight.
P.S. I wear high-tech hearing instruments, so don’t worry; it doesn’t affect my ability to hear what you are saying.
Being a Therapist is More than a Job for Me
As cliché as this statement is, it’s true. Providing this service is an extension of who I am. Having an alliance with your therapist is among the most important tools to your outcome.
I believe in the service I deliver and being beneficial to you.
It’s important to me that you find my work helpful.
If this sounds like something you are interested in, call me today for an initial free consult.
Contact Me
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