COUNSELING SERVICES

You Deserve the Very Best
And that's exactly what you'll get—the very best in professional counseling services.

Whether we like it or not we are trained and educated about life during our early years, and I believe that most of us get training that teaches us how to kill love and joy in our relationships as quickly as possible.

If some part of your life is not working for you, consider that you may have been given poor instructions and/or examples. The good news is we can re-educate ourselves. My goal is to help you recover the richness of satisfaction in all your relationships, including with yourself.

Gentle and Supportive
In this complicated, sometimes confusing world, it can be difficult to get through the barriers to a more fulfilling life. That's why my gentle and supportive approach to therapy has helped so many people.

Therapy with me is usually short-term. Some problems can be “fixed” in only a session or two.

Results are almost immediate, and even what may seem the most difficult ongoing problems start to clear up rapidly..

Therapy is a learning process, and you will soon learn to avoid repeating the same old mistakes, and take an active part in pointing your life in the direction you choose.

The objective of my therapy is to help you be independent of me as quickly as possible, and much of the therapy I do is very short-term.

How I Can Help You Improve Your Relationships and Your Life
Most people come to therapy because there is some part of their life that is less than satisfying.

Sessions with me are a “university course on life.” As we talk, I will offer suggestions, reading material, and experiments aimed at creating new options for you. We will solve your problems together, and more important, you will learn the PROCESS of solving those problems.

Changing your current behavior and interactions with people will automatically bring up the events of the past which need healing and understanding. This creates immediate, observable results, which you will see in the first few sessions.

How My Professional Practice Operates
   • There are few “rules” about my counseling. I will treat you courteously and fairly, and I trust you to reciprocate. This will permit us to develop a healthy, creative relationship based on mutual respect, which is important because our healthy relationship then becomes a model for other relationships.
   • In my format, YOU decide how often you wish to have sessions, and you are free to terminate whenever you wish.
   • I keep my fees low, because I want to be affordable to the largest number of people. In order to do that, I have to keep my own costs low, so I require 24 HOURS ADVANCE NOTICE if you wish to change or cancel an appointment without charge. This allows me to offer the time to someone else who may be waiting, and is in keeping with our mutual courtesy.
   • I am also available by telephone between sessions. In this way, you have on-the-spot help for difficult situations, as you master your new techniques.

Is it Affordable?
Certainly, monetary value cannot be placed on the benefits of therapy. The decision is left up to you. You decide how often you want to schedule sessions and when you want to terminate. Fees are reasonable and affordable.

I'm a licensed California Therapist (MFT 13629) in private practice in Long Beach since 1982. I invite you to call me at (562) 438-8077 or e-mail me at tina@tinatessina.com to ask further questions.

Phone: (562)438-8077   |    email: tina@tinatessina.com