People generally come into counseling or therapy because of an event(s) in their life where the degree of emotional pain or stress has reached a point where they have decided that they are no longer able by themselves to find an adequate resolution of their situation without the involvement of someone trained to help them better understand and change/resolve the issue. Pain is often an impetus for growth. Oftentimes people delay seeking help because of a false sense of shame or a sense of weakness if they seek the help of a professional to help them deal with their situation. The person may avoid an issue rather than facing it. It is not uncommon for people to make an appointment and then cancel in advance as the time approaches close to the scheduled appointment or may fail to show up for an appointment and not call in advance to cancel the appointment. It does take courage to take the steps necessary to bring about change in your life. We are here to help. The first step in seeking out help for whatever situation is to know that you will only be met with nonjudgmental support and compassion. Regardless of your situation we are not here to criticize you - we are only here to help you along your journey of healing. The first step, after showing up for an appointment, is to make a commitment that you will do whatever it takes to positively take steps toward improving your life. Beginning with the first session you will be given some practical tools that you can actively begin to experiment using toward that goal. Each session we will build upon those tools you are learning. It is a journey that as you apply new information and skills learned in sessions you will have an opportunity to overcome the current obstacles that hold you back from being the person you want to be. http://emapdrschulz.com