FAQs

Johanna Courtleigh, MA, Licensed Professional Counselor, expert in Building Confidence and Self-Esteem, and Resolving Conflict, Depression, Anxiety, Stress and Eating DisordersWill I be happy again?

Happiness is a skill—something we can learn to generate and sustain with our behavior and thinking. It becomes easier to be happy once you learn and practice the skills of working with and directing your thinking toward ways that support versus undermine you. So, yes, you can be happy again. Perhaps even happier than you’ve ever been. That is my goal for all my clients.

How can therapy help me?

My primary goal is to help my clients create a more loving relationship with themselves and their thinking. Most of us are habitually unkind to ourselves. We may have adopted an inner voice that sounds remarkably like the worst of what we may have experienced from others as children. I will teach you how to become kind and compassionate toward yourself, and assist you in practicing that. I will teach you how to use your mind as a tool, and to question your thinking when it’s disruptive and abusive. As we learn to be kinder and gentler internally, we have less need for addictive patterns to escape from what we are feeling. We learn how to meet our experiences, inside and out, with more patience and empathy. We won’t settle for abuse from others, because we know we deserve kindness, respect and care. We become the source of that for ourselves, and this supports us in making further changes and meeting life in a way that has enthusiasm, energy and love in it.

How long will I need to come to therapy?

That is totally up to you. Sometimes people come to therapy to deal with an immediate crisis. Sometimes other issues arise that need help resolving. Sometimes people enter therapy and find they want to continue to grow, explore and come to know themselves better. Therapy is a process, not something that is ‘done’ to you. The more deeply you engage, the deeper the results you’ll experience. This is about creating a more loving, compassionate relationship with yourself and your life, learning and practicing new skills, and resolving past experiences and beliefs that have hindered you from living fully. You are deeply worth it!

My relationship is over and I’m really sad and thinking about it all the time. Am I doing it wrong?

This is normal. Traditionally, it’s been taught that there are five stages of grieving: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. Actually, there are six. The last stage is Growth. This is not a linear process. Nor is there a time-line. Feeling pain and thinking a lot about the relationship are all part of the coming-to-terms process. You are grieving—-you are not doing it wrong. We will look at ways you can more deeply support yourself, so that your feelings can help you move through the process, as opposed to keeping you stuck.

What if I decide to go back to my partner?

It is difficult to change, even when we want to. And this is your life. I am not here to judge or decide what’s best for you. My goal is to help you tap into the deepest core of your own wisdom, so you can make healthy, self-loving choices for your life.

Can you guarantee that hypnotherapy will help me get pregnant?

Infertility seems to have reached epidemic proportions in this country, and much of it is currently diagnosed as “unexplained.”
According to The Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association, “infertile” women utilizing mind/body techniques such as hypnosis have a 42 – 55% conception rate as compared to 20% with in vitro fertilization (IVF) alone.
My experience using HypnoFertility (Hypnosis for Fertility) has been beautiful and mysterious and effective. I established Portland HypnoFertility to assist you in successfully reaching your goal of becoming a parent. Please contact me at info@portlandhypnofertility.com with any questions you may have. (503) 473-7787

Do you work with other issues?

Absolutely. I have been in the helping professions for over thirty years and in full-time private practice since 1991. I have had a broad and varied background working with:

  • Depression
  • Low Self-Esteem
  • Relationship Problems
  • Separation and Divorce
  • Addiction and Recovery
  • Adult Children of Alcoholics Issues
  • Eating Disorders
  • Co-Dependence
  • Stress Management
  • Adult Parent-Child Relationships
  • Grief and Loss
  • Transitions
  • Spiritual Issues
  • General Life Confusion

Can you recommend a resource for information on addiction?

Yes, for information on addictions, please visit these sites:

Drug Addiction

https://www.drugrehab.com

I welcome you to contact me for your free initial phone consultation.

Johanna Courtleigh
(503) 473-7787
johanna@jcourtleigh.com