Featured Therapist for July, Caitlin Dunbar
Every month, Council for Relationships features one of our staff therapists. This month’s Featured Therapist is, Caitlin Dunbar, LMFT who joined the staff in 2019. Learn more about her in the interview below!
What do you help your clients work towards?
I work from a collaborative perspective with clients, meaning I want them to be equally involved in setting their goals for treatment. I believe the client and family are the experts of their own lives, and I am here to help them reach their determined goals. A general goal that I aim for with all clients is to help them create a life that allows them to feel some level of contentment. I always make it a point to check-in with clients throughout the therapeutic process to make sure I am best assisting them in meeting their needs.
What is your background?
I attended Drexel’s Couple and Family Therapy program where the primary focus of my training was how to work with and think systemically in the therapy room, regardless of working with an individual, couple, or family. Since the start of my experience in graduate school, I knew that I wanted to work somewhere where the systemic perspective was seen as an integral part of the therapeutic process. It is a belief of mine that everyone is affected by the relationships in their lives, both good and bad. It has been made very clear to me that relationships are an important part of the work we all do with our clients here at Council for Relationships and I’m grateful to get to be a part of helping create change in client’s lives.
What does a first session with you usually consist of?
An initial session usually consists of getting to know each other and discussing what brings each individual or family to my office. I try to create a safe space that is welcoming to all and allows each person to feel open in expressing themselves. I know how difficult making the decision to come to therapy can be, as well as the anxiety that can come along with an initial session, thus I make it my goal to make everyone in the room feel as comfortable as possible. At the beginning of therapy, I always enjoy hearing about client’s interests and TV shows they’re currently watching—it helps me get to know them better!