Sharon Bain, LCSW
Sharon Bain, LCSW specializes in the Gottman Method of Couples Therapy, having completed all three levels of training with the Gottman Institute.
With whom do you work well?
I thoroughly enjoy the fact that most of my clients are now women seeking individual adult long-term therapy for help with relationship problems, depression, and/or anxiety resulting from family and work stress. I also still enjoy having a portion of my practice dedicated to parent coaching.
How do clients change in counseling? What is the mechanism of change? The motivation for change?
Change unfolds differently depending on a number of factors, primary among these is the matter of the client’s focused concern. Parenting coaching for mothers of preschoolers, for example, is typically fairly straightforward. Change is the result of concrete behavioral recommendations and skills development based in Adlerian approaches to family guidance.
Many professional women I work with are managing high expectations and demands in work, love, and family relationships. Their counseling often focuses on improved awareness of values and personal priorities and how these affect emotions and stress. Very often a counseling session will serve as a place to articulate and explore their personal experiences which results in valuable insights. Collaborative dialogue about these insights leads to ideas for leveraging meaningful change in their daily life. Ultimately, every client uses counseling differently to best suit them.
What values do you want to promote at Family Psychology of South Bend and in the community?
I believe we have a unique and important mission to serve clients who are seeking insight-oriented therapy while also helping them within the context of their family systems. I hope to support cooperative, intimate relationships, compassionate family leadership, and meaningful work.
Why did you choose to work at Family Psychology of South Bend?
The clinic is very much a product of two mutually supportive counseling careers, mine and my husband’s. Family Psychology of South Bend LLC is a result of decades of developing our counseling work as a strengths-based, teachable approach to mental and relationship health. Growing the practice allows us to help more clients as well as mentor students and promising young professionals.