Jonathan Ames, Ph.D. Providing Personal Support
Life and Times
(Just brimming with sanity…) I grew up during the era of the values parodied (?) by “Mad Men” and “All In The Family”, entrenched in McCarthyism and the Playboy Philosophy. These legacies are still with us, even now resurgent in the USA, cautioning the clinician to consider the cultural implications of such difficulties as anorexia: e.g., a ‘hunger strike’ against 'sugar and spice', and the prospect of a life whose 'success' seems to be about becoming an inanimate, unfeeling object.
Meantime, here we are, in a world that begs for a view of national boundaries commensurate with the changing climate, the threat of MRSA and other viruses immune to current antibiotics,
nuclear annihilation...
-- and you're a bit nervous?
Until not long ago, sexual preferences and orientation were considered as a chronic illness – or ‘deviance’ -- if not exclusively heterosexual. However, what makes people ill is the suppression of their identities, not their diversity, variation or expression. I believe we live in an age whose definitive characteristic is gender liberation and release from archaic, stereotypical constraints that lead to bullying, despair and even violence. As a Caucasian male clinician, I understand that I grew up with an unfair sense of privilege, in an inherently racist and sexist culture -- a developmental condition from which I struggle to emerge, as we head toward a society where folks such as myself are in the minority.
Often my clients provide significant assistance -- again, there are always two people in the room, neither with all the answers.
Meantime, here we are, in a world that begs for a view of national boundaries commensurate with the changing climate, the threat of MRSA and other viruses immune to current antibiotics,
nuclear annihilation...
-- and you're a bit nervous?
Until not long ago, sexual preferences and orientation were considered as a chronic illness – or ‘deviance’ -- if not exclusively heterosexual. However, what makes people ill is the suppression of their identities, not their diversity, variation or expression. I believe we live in an age whose definitive characteristic is gender liberation and release from archaic, stereotypical constraints that lead to bullying, despair and even violence. As a Caucasian male clinician, I understand that I grew up with an unfair sense of privilege, in an inherently racist and sexist culture -- a developmental condition from which I struggle to emerge, as we head toward a society where folks such as myself are in the minority.
Often my clients provide significant assistance -- again, there are always two people in the room, neither with all the answers.
I think that ALL people are equipped to live meaningful lives, no matter how or where they might find themselves. So perhaps the most helpful question a therapist can raise is "what now?" (remaining present for the answer). The success of psychotherapeutic work involves our answering in a way that increases courage, clarity and satisfaction.
We don't reject or avoid the significance of past events -- they teach us. Still, our continual focus is on determining and realizing what you most value -- and guiding you there.
Ethically, I accept principles upon which major psychological organizations concur. Such principles include informed consent for services; avoidance of dual, outside relationships; strict maintenance of confidentiality; and related principles and boundaries necessary for safety.
We don't reject or avoid the significance of past events -- they teach us. Still, our continual focus is on determining and realizing what you most value -- and guiding you there.
Ethically, I accept principles upon which major psychological organizations concur. Such principles include informed consent for services; avoidance of dual, outside relationships; strict maintenance of confidentiality; and related principles and boundaries necessary for safety.
