Hello, I am Dr. Bard Schatzman, Licensed Psychologist in both Missouri and Arizona. I have worked for many decades as a Licensed Psychologist providing mental health services to individuals, couples, families & groups of all ages. Mental health issues have ranged from life adjustments, developmental and parenting issues, to severe mental disorders. Issues presented and concerns may focus on substance usage, relationships, feeling depressed, anxious, lonely, fearful, traumatized, self-doubting, etc. My approach to counseling is interactive, a therapeutic alliance in which you, the client, contributes to the decision-making in establishing and prioritizing goals, expectations, and course of treatments. By the end of the first session, we should agree to goals, expectations, and course of treatment. The intent of the initial session is to explore and discover more about you, to obtain a complete picture of what you are experiencing, and those influences that may be contributing to your issues and concerns. During the first session you will disclose what you feel is important for me to hear & know. Your comments will trigger my need to ask you additional related questions. My questions of you maybe of a historical biological, sociological and/or psychological nature. Following the first session, we will be more focused on being solution focused, using a mixture of counseling therapy approaches, such as psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, humanistic, and solution-focused therapy. Everyone has challenges in life, expected and unexpected, ranging from difficult to overwhelming, maybe even devastating. Making the decision to attend counseling is frequently considered the last option in seeking help. It takes courage and willingness to be vulnerable to attend counseling. Making changes is difficult, it takes consistent effort, and determination. I appreciate your courage and willingness to be vulnerable, and I will be supportive and empowering of your efforts to meet our agreed upon goals. If you are ready for counseling, take the first step. I look forward to working with you! Dr. Bard Schatzman