Therapy and Support Imago Therapy | Individual Therapy | Couples Counseling | Groups & Workshops for Married Women Philadelphia Support Group | Telephone Support Group for Married Women Imago Therapy Understand the Link Between Childhood Relationships and Present Relationships Recognizing patterns in your relationships is the first step to getting unmet needs satisfied. It is no mistake that we find partners who will recreate familiar frustrations we experienced growing up. According to Imago theory, this creates an opportunity for partners to work together to heal childhood wounds. For example: If you had to take care of family members, you may find yourself always taking care of your partner. If you felt nobody would listen or take you seriously, you may feel unheard or misunderstood. If you grew up with a lot of family anger and/or violence, you may avoid any conflict or constantly bicker Learn New Relationship and Communication Skills There are many examples: if you grew up in a family with addictions, betrayal/infidelity, abuse, etc. you may find yourself in similar roles. You and your partner will identify the defenses you developed to protect yourself in the past, but today interfere with intimacy. In the Imago process, the therapist coaches each partner to listen without interrupting or constructing answers before the other is finished. By slowing down the communication process you will both feel better understood and less reactive. Really understand your partner’s world view and perspective in a way that gets your mutual needs met. Discover that your partner’s reaction may be less about you but more about a wounded place in herself. When your issues are broken down and stated directly under the guidance of an experienced coach you will learn to do the dialogue/skills to handle conflict outside of therapy. For more information, email the director Joanne Fleisher, LCSW Individual Therapy Trust between therapist and client creates an atmosphere for effective therapy. I am committed to listening carefully and respectfully to facilitate this trust. As a seasoned therapist, I offer insight and direction, while helping clients recognize their strengths and internal sources of wisdom. Common client issues include:  facing life transitions and losses, managing depression and other debilitating moods, relationship problems, sexuality and coming out concerns. I am grateful that you continued to push me toward optimism despite my pessimism. You were a great source of hope for me, and I want to thank you for the calm that you brought to me during those more turbulent times.                  Amanda Couples Counseling Couples counseling focuses specifically on the relationship; technically, the relationship is the client. I work with couples using my training as an Imago therapist, based on the book, Getting the Love You Want, by Harville Hendrix. We all have baggage that we bring into relationships from our family backgrounds and from previous relationships. These issues will come up in any intimate relationship. If a couple has the desire, they can work together to help heal each otherís old wounds. I provide specific communication techniques that help the couple to listen carefully until they feel understood by each other. Each partner learns to recognize the wounds that come from their past that get activated in arguments, so that they can become less reactive in the present. This process encourages couples to become more compassionate and to express a new curiosity to understand each otherís truths, thereby providing a context for growth. Groups & Workshops for Married Women A group format offers married women the opportunity to confront their solitude by sharing their experience with other women who are facing similar challenges. I use my skills as a therapist to create a climate of safety. As women share their stories, I welcome expression of all feelings, including their fears- of disapproval, of what the "gay lifestyle" entails (and all of the associated myths), of custody battles, of hurting spouses, children, parents and so on. Women also share their feelings of excitement about new loves, their attractions, and new self-awareness. Topics of discussion include: sexual identity, talking to husbands, making decisions about marriage, concerns about children, and handling the roller coaster of emotions. "I thought there was nobody else as confused or lonely as I was. I never dreamed I could be in a group of women who knew exactly how I felt, but they did because they felt it too. At first I was overcome by the sadness in the room, but in the end I not only found solace in that sadness, I found myself."          Karen Weekend Workshop for Married Women Attracted to Women: GAY AFTER MARRIAGE Led by Joanne Fleisher, LCSW Join other married women attracted to women Focus on: Living a dual lifestyle Clarifying your sexual identity How to approach husbands and family members Parenting issues Making difficult decisions about your marriage Resolving guilt and sadness about hurting loved ones Facing your fears Evaluating lifestyle options Dates: Saturday, June 7 and Sunday June 8, 2008 Cost: $275 Place: Center City Philadelphia Travel information and lodging is provided Confidentiality is stressed in all phases of the workshop Contact Joanne for an online brochure Philadelphia Support Group This ongoing group is for married women at all stages of discovery, from first loving a woman to beginning a coming out process—or not. It will include women who have no actual experience with a woman to women who are recently separated and still dealing with the impact of their journey. The group meets bi-weekly under Joanne's guidance, focusing on issues regarding whether or how to maintain your marriage, children, clarifying your sexuality, coming out to others, making difficult relationship decisions, and getting comfortable with a lesbian or bisexual community. Time: Wednesdays, 7 - 8:45 PM Cost: Payment for first 4 bi-weekly sessions is required, $200. Location: Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia Whether by telephone or in person, when you contract with me for couples therapy, you can expect a gay-sensitive, focused approach to relationship issues such as: Communication Sex and Intimacy Blended Family Issues Relationships with family members and community Different needs for closeness vs. distance As your therapist I will help you to: Create a relationship vision, based on your values Understand childhood wounds affecting your relationship Recognize the developmental stages of all relationships Re-experience the love that attracted you to each other Contact Joanne if interested. For more information, email the director Joanne Fleisher, LCSW