About Me – Jonathan Hart MA, LLPC, NCC

 

For my first post, I wanted to share a little bit about myself.  To get the technical stuff out of the way, I am a Limited Licensed Professional Counselor (LLPC), for now.  Soon I will be fully licensed. I am almost there. Let me explain the difference for those that may not know.  There is no difference. Being a LLPC simply means that I have to obtain a certain number of hours of experience and be supervised by a fully licensed counselor.  I earned my Masters of Arts in Counseling in 2015 from Oakland University with a specialization in Mental Health. I was trained in testing and assessment and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy.  Sorry for the fancy big words. I could explain what that is, but I want to keep this somewhat brief. I will let you Google if you so desire. You can read about my special interests and professional associations on my staff page here, but I will say that my main focus in therapy is helping those who suffer from stress and anxiety.  The reason for this is because I’m not only an anxiety therapist….I am a client as well. I suffered from panic disorder for years, and let me say, it was not fun.  During my schooling, I decided to learn as much as I could about anxiety in hopes of figuring out what was going on inside of me and, hopefully, be able to help others who suffered from it.  That being said, I have found out that panic attacks, while sucking, can be cured or managed, at least, fairly quickly with the right treatment.

If you’ve read this far…thank you! I appreciate your looking for more than a quick skim.  One of the most important lessons I learned in the counseling program is that the relationship, or “fit”, between the client and counselor is the most important factor of therapy.  I again could go into this but you can search Google for Carl Rogers. What this simply means is that if you do not “fit” with your therapist, therapy will not work. With this in mind, I hope to provide you with a little bit of understanding regarding my personality….as much as can be taken from a few paragraphs.  

Finally, let me discuss the way I approach therapy.  I like to use what is considered an eclectic approach.  What this means is that I mold which theories and/or techniques I utilize based on my client’s needs.  I look to you as a whole and not just a group of symptoms. If we can get to the root of the problem, then the symptoms will naturally be taken care of.  That being said, I believe that symptoms grouped together and labeled as a disorder can give some clarity of what is going on and a direction in which to begin treatment.  I am getting a bit technical again so I will stop there. I use humor when appropriate in session. Believe it or not, there is science behind it. Being a Christian, I also, like to utilize biblical truths when appropriate.  This is, of course, only with my client’s permission. I am just a passenger on your journey. I am sort of like the navigation on your phone. I can show you the different paths you can take to your goal, but you are the one who decides which one you take.  

Thank you so much for checking this post out.  If you have any questions or comments or would like to book an appointment, please contact me here or give me a call at the number on the home page.  

 

Jonathan Hart MA, LLPC, NCC