relationships

In putting my shingle out there I tried to go with what I felt my strengths were. i have dealt with substance abuse for over 8 years now, and was trained in facilitating Domestic violence groups, specifically dealing with the perpetrator. But what I have found is that people have been coming to me with relational issues. I guess that no one seeks out a therapist because of problems, only symptoms.

What I mean by this is that the root of relational issues may stem from the abuse of drugs or alcohol. Problems certainly may arise because of violence or anger in the home. However, the end result is a pain from a fear of loss, not from a self awareness. "I don't have a drinking problem, she just has a problem with my drinking."

What this tells me is that I have to change not my scope of practice, but rather my advertising. I have to look at the problems that motivate people to get into therapy in the first place.

Have you gone into therapy? why? In my own life there were two things that motivated me to go into therapy: Relational problems, and job problems. It seems that I was having a problem at work because of depression. Funny, being suicidal is not motivation enough for change but the treat of a loss of a job was.