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Orientation for Counseling
SEARCH
DRINK
DISCOVER
DISCOVER
"A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:"--Proverbs 1:5
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ORIENTATION FOR COUNSELING
(This is an on-line copy of the brochure available in office and given to first-time clients as a part of their orientation.)
WITH
Kevin Everett FitzMaurice, M.S., NCC, CCMHC, LPC
A Counseling Center, P.C.
Hours:
by Appointment Only
3323 North 109th Plaza
Omaha, NE 68164-2908
Voice: 402.573.7277
Fax: 402.573.7360
Pager: 402.233.9626
CREDENTIALS
Kevin has a Masters of Science (M.S.) degree in Guidance and Counseling, with a specialization in agency counseling, from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
He is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC); a nationally Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC); a certified group facilitator for the Batterer's Education Program (BEP) in Iowa; a certified counselor in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) with Family, Child, and Adolescent; holds the Primary Certification in REBT; a certified Active Parenting leader; and was a certified drug and alcohol counselor in Nebraska for 8 years.
Kevin's professional memberships include: American Counseling Assoc.; Assoc. for Spiritual, Ethical and Religious Values in Counseling; American Mental Health Counselors Assoc.; NE Counseling Assoc.; NE Mental Health Counselors Assoc.; NE Assoc. for Multicultural Counseling and Development; NE Assoc. for Spiritual, Ethical and Religious Values in Counseling; and APPT.
Kevin is a Certified Professional Counselor (CPC) and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Nebraska and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the state of Iowa.
TYPE OF THERAPY
Kevin has had specific training in the practice of the following therapies: Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Addictions Counseling, Multimodal Therapy, Family Therapy, Adlerian Therapy, Rogerian Therapy, Domestic Abuse Counseling. Additionally, Kevin has received formal education on the above therapies as well as others, for example: Psychoanalysis, Existential Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Reality Therapy, Rational Behavior Therapy, Behavior Modification, Jungian Therapy.
Kevin will freely tell you that his preference is to use Cognitive Psychotherapy. Kevin has developed his own form of cognitive psychotherapy: Empowerment Counseling (EC). EC integrates the therapy founded by Dr. Albert Ellis (REBT), the work of Alfred Korzybski on General Semantics, ancient Taoism, and ancient Christianity. However, Kevin is eager to use whatever works best for you. Still, it is possible, even with the variety of therapies that Kevin is competent in, that you may prefer to work with someone else. In that case, Kevin will refer you to someone else to assist you in your work.
RELATIONSHIP
Kevin prefers the roles of consultant, confidant, coach, teacher, tutor, guide, role model, advocate, helper, and collaborator over the roles of guru, know-it-all, doctor, magician, expert, or some other one-up position. Kevin believes that it is crucial to successful counseling to agree on what to work on and to work on it together as a team.
Kevin, like all counselors, is ethically bound to stay out of dual relationships with clients. Dual relationships simply means having more than one basis for relating. In counseling, the basis for relating is counseling. In friendship, the basis for relating is friendship. In business, the basis for relating is business. In order to keep the roles and responsibilities clear, the only relationship that you will have with Kevin is one of client to counselor.
Contacts outside of the counseling setting can be difficult for some. Kevin will attempt to match the level of interaction that you start in public settings, for example, by only saying "Hello" if you do first.
The relationship can become strained if you do not call as far ahead as possible when you need to miss a scheduled appointment. Courtesy allows others to get help.
CHANGE
It is totally inaccurate to speak of changing yourself: your self is not changeable. However, you can change your thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and even your sensations. Since you have the most control over your thoughts, it is best to work on changing, or, rather, switching thoughts to more effective ones first.
Kevin's philosophy of change is that more responsibility results in more personal power. The key area that most people lack responsibility in is for their feelings. Learning to take responsibility for your feelings is the most effective way of regaining your lost personal power.
Kevin teaches that we need to recognize, remove, and replace our self-defeating attitudes, feelings, and behaviors. This is his Three R's of counseling. You will progress more rapidly, maintain more of your gains, and generalize more of your gains to other areas if you do all three: recognize, remove, and replace the problems you bring to counseling.
No counselor can do your work for you. Counselors can only assist you by helping you to learn new skills to replace your hurtful habits.
Kevin recommends the book You Can Control Your Feelings by Bill Borcherdt to everyone who can read.
AVAILABILITY
Kevin is available mainly by appointment. Call A Counseling Center, P.C. during normal working hours at (402) 573-7277 and ask for Kevin.
In emergency situations Kevin will make reasonable efforts to contact or meet with you. If that is not possible, Kevin, or a substitute for Kevin, will attempt to have someone else meet with you.
For after-hour emergencies, call Kevin's pager at 233-9626. If he does not respond, call 573-7277, leave a message for Barb Escamilla, LCSW, and press 8 after the message to page the Barb. Barb provides backup coverage for Kevin as does Kevin for Barb.
Please note the following help numbers: First Call for Help 444-6666; Crisis Line 449-4650; Police 911; Domestic Abuse (800) 523-3666; Child and Adult Abuse (800) 652-1999; AA 895-9911.
OTHER
Confidentiality is covered on the "10 Limits to Confidentially" handout. But ask any and all questions about it.
Fees and length of therapy also need to be discussed and made clear. Make a point of asking to do this.
Your motivation to change, your willingness to suffer ego pain, your willingness to risk new skills, and your persistent practice of your new skills are the best measures of the potential success of your therapy.
QUOTATIONS VARIOUS SOURCES
"A fool is only a fool because he won't see he is a fool."--Kevin Everett FitzMaurice
"A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery."--James Joyce
"Failure doesn't have anything to do with your intrinsic value as a person."--Albert Ellis & Robert A. Harper, A Guide to Rational Living, Third Edition, p. 206
"When receiving correction, the wise seeks to learn and the fool seeks to justify with excuses."--Kevin Everett FitzMaurice
"My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:"--Proverbs 3:11
"Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die."--Proverbs 15:5
"For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."--Hebrews 12:6
"If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?"--Hebrews 12:7
"But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons."--Hebrews 12:8
"The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism."--Norman Vincent Peale
"By honestly acknowledging your past errors, but never damning yourself for them, you can learn to use your past for your own future benefit."--Albert Ellis & Robert A. Harper, A Guide to Rational Living, Third Edition, p. 194. Order A Guide to Rational Living
"If we eliminated all errors, we would also eliminate much discovery, art, insight, learning, and creativity that results from facing errors."--Kevin Everett FitzMaurice
"The greatest explorer on this earth never takes voyages as long as those of the man who descends to the depth of his heart."--Julien Green
QUOTATIONS SCRIPTURE
"A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:"--Proverbs 1:5
"Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety."--Proverbs 11:14
"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise."--Proverbs 12:15
"Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy."--Proverbs 12:20
"Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established."--Proverbs 15:22
"Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end."--Proverbs 19:20
"Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war."--Proverbs 20:18
"Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth."--Isaiah 16:3
"Extol not thyself in the counsel of thine own heart; that thy soul be not torn in pieces as a bull [straying alone.]"--Ecclesiasticus 6:2
"As timber girt and bound together in a building cannot be loosed with shaking: so the heart that is stablished by advised counsel shall fear at no time."--Ecclesiasticus 22:16
"Give not over thy mind to heaviness, and afflict not thyself in thine own counsel."--Ecclesiasticus 30:21
"A man of counsel will be considerate; but a strange and proud man is not daunted with fear, even when of himself he hath done without counsel."--Ecclesiasticus 32:18
"And let the counsel of thine own heart stand: for there is no man more faithful unto thee than it."--Ecclesiasticus 37:13
"Let reason go before every enterprize, and counsel before every action."--Ecclesiasticus 38:33
"Gold and silver make the foot stand sure: but counsel is esteemed above them both."--Ecclesiasticus 40:25
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