APPROACH TO THERAPY

Most people come into therapy when something has gone wrong in their lives. A tragic loss, divorce, or an unexpected turn of events can trigger feelings of sadness, anger, anxiety, or the inability to feel anything beyond a numb emptiness. This can lead to harmful behaviors such as eating disorders, depression, alcoholism, working too much, playing too little.

In families everyone is affected by crisis or change, often creating new behaviors and roles, such as a teenager who becomes the “parenting child” following  a divorce.  Many couples experience disappointment when they discover the man or woman of their dreams is very human, with the same flaws they disliked in their own parents.

My job as psychotherapist is to listen deeply to your story and serve as your navigator on a journey to discover new things about  yourself, your partner, or your family. This can invite new emotions, such as  hope, and joy within yourself and the people in your life.

BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE

For the past twenty years I have worked in private practice, in community mental health agencies, and as a supervisor of other clinicians. I have extensive experience leading workshops and groups (see Workshop offerings).  I completed my Bachelor’s Degree, then my Masters in Psychology at Antioch University Seattle in 1991, and have been a licensed mental health counselor in Washington State since 1994.  I completed a 2-year professional seminar at the North Pacific Institute of Analytical Psychology, for therapists who use Jungian psychology in their work.

 THERAPEUTIC ORIENTATION

In order to help me understand the depth of my clients’ concerns, I study theories about why we do what we do, and how our behaviors affect others. This includes ideas about how human beings grow and develop from infancy throughout adulthood, and what happens when families and couples have conflicts. I also explore how individuals develop an inner identity that may not be in harmony with how they relate to the world. These ideas are only as good as the relationship formed with the client, and the quality of listening and collaboration we engage in.

THE SECOND HALF OF LIFE

Baby Boomers are redefining the meaning of “Mid-Life Crisis” to mean “Mid-Life Revolution!’  Not the one we imagined in the 60’s, but a time of profound change, calling us to look at how we define ourselves, and view our abilities and limitations.

I have a particular interest in working with people at this stage of life, who may be suffering from depression, anxiety, a sense of panic, upheaval, or lack of purpose — people who are longing to make different choices in the next decades of their life.

While there is a loss to be mourned — we may not be able to climb a mountain, dance on toe shoes, or down-hill ski as we did in our youth — we can emerge from this “crisis” with a much deeper sense of who we are and what is possible. Our lives can be shaped from a sense of inner direction, lessening our dependence on the praise or censure of others. This can open new ground emotionally, professionally, in our relationships, and in learning to find meaning and new joy.

CHILDREN IN FAMILIES

While it is often the behavior of the child that brings families into therapy, this is only the “tip of the iceberg” in my experience with families.

The configuration of the sessions is determined by the underlying issues. I sometimes work individually with children, using sand tray, art, and other imaginative means, but this is often done in tandem with seeing the parents. Confidentiality is honored with both parties, unless permission is given to share. At critical junctures an adolescent, for example, may ask for a session with one or both parents, siblings, or extended family.

The goals of treatment are unique to each family. Some themes we might explore include balancing love and limits: how parents can use rewards, respect, and nurturing to shape a child’s behavior and sense of security. And how to get and give the love and support you need, while nurturing a family atmosphere that allows everyone to grow and develop as independent, compassionate people.

GROUPS AND WORKSHOPS

Writing from Within:
Creating Stories as a Road Map for the Soul

How do we nurture our creativity and use writing as a tool for enhancing self-knowledge and personal growth? How can crafting stories filled with fresh images and conflict help us learn more about our inner life?  What is the relationship between stories and the tools of analytical psychology, such as active imagination and the interpretation of dreams?

Contact Elizabeth Clark-Stern by e-mail or by phone, for details on the next group or class offering. Contact and Fee Information

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Visioning Your Life at Mid-Life:
A Workshop for Women

The “mid-life crisis” is a generic term for a very real, very individual journey. What happens when the tasks of the “first half of life” are behind us?  What were the dreams our youth?  Are they relevant now?  If not, what lies ahead? What old habits of being need to be honored and discarded, for new, vibrant life to emerge?

The root of the word confidence means, “fidelity to the self.” How do we meet the identity crisis of mid life and learn to listen to the wisdom of our deeper self? How do we step into the integrity of the person we are now called to become?

Visioning Your Life at Mid-Life offers a forum to explore these questions, and to bring your own.  Using creative imagination, guided meditation, and sharing, the workshop allows participants to examine and explore new possibilities for their lives.  The workshop provides a practical “Visionquest” allowing each person to begin the process of mapping a unique self-directed future.

Offering 5 hours of Continuing Education Credits for licensed Mental Health Counselors, Masters and B.A. level. 

Facilitators: Jane Johnston, MA, LMHC is a psychotherapist in private practice with 20 years experience as a therapist and educator. A focus of her work is the spiritual development of the individual.  Elizabeth Clark Stern MA LMHC is a psychotherapist in private practice in with 20 years experience as a therapist/educator. She also focuses on the individuation of the soul in the second half of life. Contact Elizabeth Clark-Stern by e-mail or by phone, for details on the next group or class offering. Contact and Fee Information   

Women of all ethnicities and orientations are welcome.

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Couples Group 2005

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution to find a relationship, save the one you’re in, or learn more about yourself before entering the uncharted waters of intimacy?  Have you wondered why it is often hard to maintain yourself as a separate person when blending your life with another?  Have you ever caught yourself feeling your partner’s feelings instead of your own? 

It is a cliché that all committed relationships require “compromise,” but is it true?  How do we know when we are negotiating a sensible give-and-take, and when we are giving away the store?

Join Dr. Bob Miller and Elizabeth Clark-Stern, MA,  to explore these ideas, and learn from each other in a psycho-educational setting.  We will incorporate readings and discussion from James Hollis’s book, THE EDEN PROJECT : IN SEARCH OF THE MAGICAL OTHER. The author is a Jungian analyst known for his ability to translate often esoteric-sounding concepts into practical, usable language. Dr. Miller and Ms Clark-Stern are therapists in private practice who work with couples and families. 

Couples and singles of all orientations are welcome.

Contact Elizabeth Clark-Stern by e-mail or by phone, for details on the next group or class offering. Contact and Fee Information     

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Thin From Within:
A Workshop for Women Who Eat Too Much
or Think Too Much about Not Eating

Webster’s Dictionary defines nourishment, “To provide with food or other substances necessary for life and growth; to foster the development of; to keep alive....”

What does it mean to nourish ourselves? What could the “other substances” necessary for life be? Are there ways many of us use food as a substitute for another kind of nourishment?  What does this mean for women who have created a relationship to food that isn’t giving the body —or the mind or the soul—what it is really starving for?

We will explore our relationship to food, how it has served us for better or for worse. We will explore ways to nourish our bodies and spirits in other ways.  It is also important to explore the ways food does nourish our bodies, our senses, our artistic nature, our imagination, even our family, religious, and cultural heritage.

Join us in an educational setting to explore some alternative nourishing. Please wear comfortable clothing and bring a healthy, fresh, colorful (if possible) and economical (please) dish to share. If you have a story that accompanies your food selection, these are most welcome. To this day I can’t smell fresh bread in the grocery store without thinking of my Southern grandmother’s homemade biscuits and fig preserves.

Contact Elizabeth Clark-Stern by e-mail or by phone, for details on the next group or class offering. Contact and Fee Information

CLINICAL CONSULTATION

I am a licensed mental health counselor with 13 years' experience as a supervisor of clinicians. I build a collaborative, supportive relationship with those for whom I consult. I would be most helpful to licensed therapists with an interest in individual, couple, and family therapy, using a theoretical base that incorporates family systems, object relations, cognitive behavioral, and Jungian perspectives. Also an Approved Supervisor for the State of Washington, providing supervision for those seeking licensure in Washington State as a mental health counselor.