“This person you want to be: What is OK to wish for? That's the first question.”

— Thomas Doherty

A Sustainable Self

The concept of personal sustainability moves environmental ethics from the abstract world of ideas to your day-to-day life and provides a positive and exciting way to think about your health. Viewing your identity through the lenses of ecology and sustainability allows you to experience yourself embedded in the earth's larger natural systems and cycles. Aspiring to a "sustainable self" means living in harmony with your self-image, physical body, the natural world, and with the other beings that live on this planet.

"Sustainable Self has given me a greater awareness and confidence in approaching life."

—  43 year old male

What happens during a meeting?

During personal counseling or therapy sessions with Dr. Thomas Doherty, you will take a close look at your ingrained habits and personality styles, family and cultural experiences, and day-to-day activities. As a first step in making positive changes in yourself and the world, Thomas will help you create practices of mindfulness and self-nurturing that provide a base for long-term, sustainable activity.  Techniques Dr. Doherty uses include:

• Building a safe & trusting relationship

• Crafting irresistable goals: This person you want to be: What is OK to wish for? That's the first question.

• Using healing stories appropriate to your beliefs and culture

• Providing expert advice on nature connection practices
  

• Educating you with up-to-date information from the science of psychology and mind-body health

• Nourishing personal growth activities such as reading, writing, watching films, spending time outdoors or using personalized relaxation or meditation practices
  

• Experimenting with new assertive behaviors and healthy relationships

"At times, we will set goals and move toward them diligently - measuring and celebrating our progress.  We will also recognize when the wisest course is to let go of expectations and simply be with what is.  Accepting “old” things as they are, however difficult or paradoxical this may seem, can create an open space for “new” things to occur."

— Thomas Doherty

Finding a counseling style that fits for you

Dr. Doherty works from an integrative perspective that draws from different approaches in psychology and health care that are known to be effective. He tailors his approach to the unique needs and preferences of his clients:

• Client-Centered: Valuing humans’ innate potential for health and the importance of finding a sense of meaning in life.

• Cognitive-Behavioral: Actively exploring feelings, thoughts, and behaviors; testing our assumptions; and experimenting with new ways of being.

• Interpersonal: Strengthening our relationships with others and recognizing the importance of early childhood experiences in creating the mental maps that guide us in adulthood.

• Developmental: Recognizing how our abilities--and the tasks expected of us by our culture--evolve over the course of our lives.

• Mind-Body: Using relaxation and mindfulness meditation to reduce stress, be aware in the present moment, develop peacefulness and improve performance

• Ecopsychology: Broadening the perspective to include your sense of place, inter-relationship with the natural world, your ethics, and social or political empowerment

• Existential-Spiritual: Aligning psychology practices with someone's conception of a transcendent or higher power, or with their religious and spiritual tradition.