About Me
Hello.
My name is Pat Morin and I have been a psychotherapist for over 35 years. My forte is depression and anxiety; however, I have worked with a variety of psychological diagnosis from drug-involved adolescents, grief-stricken adults, to senior kleptomaniacs. I was also a director of a center with dually-diagnosed—schizophrenia and mentally challenged—individuals over the age of sixteen. I worked within Community Counseling Centers for 13 years before opening up my own practice.
You can read more about me in Psychology Today’s verified-therapist page.
I have an office at 3030 Bridgeway, Suite #206, Sausalito, CA.
I thought a good place to begin is to share the differences between individual, couple, and family therapy.
What is Individual Therapy?
Individual therapy is a form of therapy in which you are treated on a one-on-one basis with a therapist. Individual therapy allows you to focus on whatever is on your mind with the assurance that you will be heard in a confidential, nonjudgmental setting. Many times we are responding or reacting to others without concentrating on our own well-being. Your therapist’s main concern is YOU.
People benefit from individual therapy in many ways: greater clarity and coping skills, increased self-confidence, better relationships with significant others, family members, co-workers; getting past fears, anxiety and depression, and achieving personal goals. Therapy can help you set realistic goals, and give you the tools to accomplish those goals in a set time and manner.
It takes courage to open up about personal matters to a stranger, and to value yourself enough to invest your time and energy into the therapy process. You’re worth it.
What is Couples Therapy?
Couples therapy is a form of therapy in which two people in an intimate relationship are treated to focus on the improvement of their relationship. Couples therapy can be either “marriage” therapy or “couples” therapy. Marriage therapy generally helps with, and tends to deal with, “present day” events rather than dwelling on the past. Couples therapy deals with present day, but also any history that has caused an imbalance or unhealthy patterns of dealing with each other.
Most common reason couples seek therapy:
- Trust has been broken, and assistance is needed in overcoming the major breach.
- Arguments are getting more frequent.
- Communication is poor.
- One or both of the partners becomes dysfunctional during a conflict.
- Emotional intimacy is gone or deeply diminished.
What is Family Therapy?
Family therapy is a form of therapy in which family members are treated to improve communication and resolve stress and conflicts within the family. Systems of interactions between family members are explored, as well as specific issues that effect the health and functioning of the family. A therapist must learn how each member functions in the group. Noted here is that “family” does not always pertain to blood relatives.