We carefully match client and therapist according to:

• The thinking styles of client and therapist
• Therapists' specialties at The DiMele Center
• A range of therapy processes including Intense-Feeling Psychotherapy-a dynamic process for emotional healing created by Armand DiMele and his associates
• Gender and age make a difference

Thinking Styles

Thinking patterns are often the key to effective communication between therapist and client. We match thinking styles. Some clients are very random in their thinking. They tend to cover a lot of areas at once. They are often intolerant of therapists who cannot follow their speed of thinking. We choose a therapist who can follow them in their thinking. Others are very concrete, step-by-step kind of people. We match them with therapists who work in a very organized, step-by-step kind of way. We examine the thinking styles during the first meeting to determine which therapist would be the best choice for thinking style. This way the client doesn't have to spend so much time learning how to communicate to the therapist.
 
 

Therapist Specialty

Every therapist, over time, develops an area of interest that becomes his or her specialty. For example, some therapists specialize in helping people with relationship problems. Others specialize in working with vocational difficulties. Others specialize in abuse problems. We have found that therapy is more cost-effective when the client is referred to the person who specializes in or at least has had significant experience in working with the client's present problem.
 
 

Therapy Process

People respond differently to different styles of therapy. Different therapists have different process specialties. Some people need to be able to get feedback from the therapist, so that they can start dealing with the problems immediately (psychotherapy, behavioral therapy or counseling.) Others respond better to a less active process (psychoanalytic approach.) Still others need to release their pent up tensions, not just talk about them, leading to a faster relief of symptoms (Bioenergetics, Gestalt Therapy). We offer all therapeutic processes.
 
 

Intense-Feeling Psychotherapy

Intense-Feeling Process (Reconnective Psychotherapy) As well as providing the services above Armand DiMele and three of his associates have developed this process of psychotherapy that is a synthesis of Gestalt, Bioenergetic, Primal and Psychodrama therapies.

Conventional psychotherapy is not always effective in reversing life long patterns of depression, insensitivity and dullness. It takes too long, costs too much and does not encourage the development of the uniqueness of the individual. In fact, most analytic processes tend to encourage acceptance of one's limitations and adaptation to the environment. Most psychotherapy is purely an intellectual approach to emotional issues which results in greater control over one's emotions. Controlling emotions takes the spark out of life. Intense-Feeling Psychotherapy focuses on expression rather than repression of emotions. Its application is described in an article by Armand DiMele, and in the revised edition of The Drama of The Gifted Child, by Dr. Alice Miller.
 
 

Gender and Age Matching

Some people are more comfortable speaking with a man, others are more comfortable with a woman therapist. Some prefer older therapists, others communicate better with younger therapists. To further aid us in our decision we inquire about the client's relationship with each parent when they were children. If a person found it difficult to communicate with either their mother or father, we inquire as to which gender they find it easier to communicate with among their friends and peers.
We have found that if an earlier communication problem with a parent manifests as a communication problem with people of the same sex as that parent, it is better to select a therapist of the other gender. The selection process is very specific. We have found that careful selection leads to shorter term and more effective therapy.

The Initial Interview

We always arrange an initial interview within 48 hour of the client's first call. During the initial meeting, the interviewer (intake worker) evaluates which process would be most effective, discusses this with the client and develops a treatment plan.
 
 

Interview Follow-up

The day after the first visit with the selected therapist, the intake worker calls the client to inquire about the client's comfort with the selected therapist. If for any reason the client felt uncomfortable with the therapist, we offer them an alternative therapist at no charge for the next session.

We have found that this process is very effective. Since we are a relatively large group practice, therapists understand that idiosyncratic preferences occur. Sometimes something about the therapist strikes the client wrong. We go with their preference, regardless of the reason.
 
 

Frequency of Sessions

Clients are usually seen twice per week for the first three weeks and then once per week following the initial visit. Our average treatment time is 27 weeks. Group therapy is also available.