Counseling services at the Temecula Center for Mediation and Conflict Resolution

Individual counseling process is a process whereby individuals focus on working through a presenting problem in a facilitated and cooperative way with a clinician. Even though individuals often desperately want to create some behavioral change in perhaps one or two areas of their lives, please understand that this is not always an easy process. First of all, it often helps to understand the underlying motivations for a current behavior. Then, a person must consciously focus on making a commitment to taking some risks to change areas(s) in his/her life that will produce the personal outcomes he or she wants to accomplish in treatment. Finally, practicing new behaviors can create changes in the brain that will compete with old patterns of behavior. It is, above everything else, a journey, sometimes with a few unexpected twists and turns. Yet the journey is often worthwhile for many who are unhappy with where they are in life at the moment. Please know that we are committed to assist you with this journey.

Group counseling is a process that provides treatment simultaneously to a group of individuals with various presenting problems. Despite the presenting problem, whether they are different or similar, individual group members can often find similar themes to profit from during the treatment process. The group process can often be more rewarding to some clients in that they will often realize that they are not alone and that other people do genuinely care for their welfare. In a sense, the group process, is a collective journey, where each person hopefully works to not only help himself or herself but others in his/her journey to overcome a presenting problem. As a result, the group often develops rewarding bonds of trust and positive feelings regarding the treatment process.

This type of counseling is similar to group counseling. The big difference is that the couple or family members, of course, know each other. This can also make this type of counseling more challenging in that each individual often comes in with a preconceived set of ideas regarding other family members. These preconceived interpretations may be hard to discard or reframe. However, it is this very reframing that is needed in order to change the dynamics of a maladaptive system in to a more fully functioning and more rewarding system. Again, it is a collaborative approach where family members work with a clinician or two clinicians to achieve a greater understanding of each other and learn more effective ways to interact. It is also a journey, but it is oftentimes a welcomed one once the hard work is completed.

All counselors associated with The Temecula Psychological and Counseling Center are licensed in the state of California as a psychologist, social worker, marriage and family therapist, or licensed educational psychologist. Those who practice Pastoral Counseling do so in accordance with section 2908 of the State of California Business and Professions Code, and do not provide services under the laws regulating licensed Marriage and Family Counselors, Clinical Social Workers, and Psychologists in the State of California. California has no provision to license Pastoral Counselors.