Specializations
Individual Counseling
Before we can successfully relate to others, we must be comfortable and settled in our selves. This is why individual counseling may be relevant, even to those whose primary concerns initially center around someone else.
As a therapist I provide a safe and supportive space for individuals to sort out new ways to respond to their experiences. I try to:
Listen in such a way that a person hears herself, possibly for the first time
To help a client connect with the sadness that often underlies anger
To support, rather than supplant, undeveloped strengths and interests
To identify blockages and the causes of blockages
To hear the stories of old wounds bringing comfort, resolution and healing
To raise consciousness about the hopes and fears hidden beneath habitual negative or self-defeating patterns
To tune into and help clients manifest their most fulfilling and heartfelt goals
Clients Say:
The effects of setting aside a place once a week for a completely open-hearted look at where you are in that moment has startled and thrilled me. Stepping into the space Gail holds and engaging with her even, forthright and compassionate presence has held me lovingly to this task. Her willingness to hold the long view for me when I am stuck in the difficult logistics of the mundane, gives foundation to larger goals and lifelong dreams.
Over the many years of working with Gail, no topic has ever been off limits, no darkness so dark that it has been impenetrable to light. She is wonderfully keen and compassionate. My experience with Gail has been profound and buoyant; always disarming; practically holy.
Couple Counseling
Many couples seek counseling when points of tension in their relationship reach an unprecedented high. At such times, communication stalls. Feelings are raw. Though deep down both partners want to reach an understanding, anticipating the process can be frightening, even daunting.Many couples seek counseling when points of tension in their relationship reach an unprecedented high. At such times, communication stalls. Feelings are raw. Though deep down both partners want to reach an understanding, anticipating the process can be frightening, even daunting.
Such tension might arise, for example,
When one partner says they feel “bored” in the relationship, implying that it’s the other person’s responsibility to make sure that this doesn’t happen
When a mutual habit of conflict-avoidance leads to seemingly irreversible dishonesty (withholding) and staleness
When one person in a relationship is centering her life around the other, rather than cultivating a rich, full, personal life in partnership with another who has done the same
When addiction-related issues in one partner get out of hand
The patterns and assumptions that land two people in such places inevitably are laid over time. Rather than just get through them, couples can use them to establish a more compassionate and respectful groundwork. In sessions with me they learn to ask for what they want, to say how they feel, to identify their needs and take responsibility for their experiences. As both parties reach a more honest and expressive self relationship, greater safety and trust in the other person’s presence also becomes possible. Couples frequently leave counseling with a deep appreciation for their connection and take pleasure in a new, more collaborative partnership.
Clients Say:
Gail provides straightforward, honest feedback and always gets to the heart of the matter.
I am more patient, he is more focused, and things are actually improving.
Spiritual Counseling and Mentoring from a Buddhist Perspective
In 1970 I received lay ordination from Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. My work as a therapist has been deeply informed by the richness of Zen and later Tibetan Buddhist practice. I love to help people make their spiritual understanding practical no matter what path they are on. For information on Mentoring from a Buddhist Perspective, visit my Dharma Talks website, GailSherDharmaTalks.com/mentoring
Clients Say:
Work with Gail feels less a therapy than a ritual of devotion and love which has reached into all of my relationships, all of my daily actions and my life as a whole and asks me to give all features of my existence this level of commitment and honesty.
One-on-one Writing Tutorials
I have authored over thirty books of poetry and three books on writing as a practice, including One Continuous Mistake: Four Noble Truths for Writers (Penguin) which continues to be highly recommended in college writing classes. For detailed information about my publications and one-on-one writing tutorials, visit GailSher.com.
Clients Say:
Gail Sher is a fantastic writing coach. She is totally present in her writing consultations and offers simple and impactful ways of moving through blocks. I 100% recommend Gail Sher to writers of all genres.