Get to Know Me
Sonia Neale, MS, LMFT
My approach to therapy is based on the belief that behaviors are a function of our relations with others. Thus, a person's environment and history influences one's sense of self and the way we express ourselves as part of a group and as individuals. I try to learn from my client's experiences to develop a better understanding of who they are, how they developed their sense of self, their worldview, and behavior.
A well-functioning family is not defined by the absence of stress or conflict, but by how effectively it handles them in response to their developing needs and the changing conditions. My job is to work with my clients to help them locate their own underutilized strengths to help them grow their own resources.
My focus is on what is taking place among people, rather than on individual psyches. I believe that the family is the primary context, the "matrix of identity" where we develop ourselves as we interact with spouses, parents, children, and other family members who are in constant transformation, adapting to an ever-changing social environment.