(917) 710-7578            hzl@allbluescounseling.com

My initial treatment work, begun some 20 years ago, was in the Domestic Violence area. I have always considered this work to be an extension of my work for Peace and Justice into the family. During the course of working with the batterers and the battered – work I still do – I was continually confronted with individuals under stress, people with anxiety and panic attack, and people who suffered depression. In these relationships there were a wide variety of abuses in evidence: not only physical abuse, but sexual and emotional abuse, as well. There was also, in about 50% of these families, active substance abuse, and a much higher percentage of families of origin with histories of substance abuse.

So I learned in my 20 years of treatment experience, to work with a wide variety of issues that trouble the men and women who come to see me. For the most part, I’ve had quite good results with the abused, the frightened and the angry. I’ve treated victims of political repression from South America, males and female victims of sexual abuse by clergy, victims of incest, rape and other forms of sexual abuse. The work we do in reconnecting to the events, the pain, the humiliation and the betrayal of the past helps in the crucial next step. In this we work through the guilt, shame and helplessness to shift the abuse issue from is central position in the victim’s emotional life so that the sense of victimization can be reduced and the capacity for empowerment increased. At this point emotional redevelopment can be fostered and movement forward on life’s journey can continue.

At the same time that I was working on issues of abuse, I was working with actors, artists, musicians, and writers. Aside from their relationship concerns, artists have special emotional concerns in their engagement with the creative process and the requirements of their craft. For some there was creative block: writers who can’t bring themselves to write, musicians and theater people who can’t rehearse, artists who can’t produce. For others it was a crisis of confidence. For yet others it was a moment of choice and self-definition: pursue my craft, or change careers and how to see myself. For yet others, there were the strains of being on tour, or being in rehearsal or being absorbed in creating and the effects on their relationships. These are difficult choices and require an understanding of the creative process, ‘the business’ and the nature of relationships with the creative. I’ve helped writers develop their books, artists find new internal sources of inspiration, rock-‘n-roll groups overcome conflicts within their group, and singers come to terms with loss of voice. I’ve helped performers come to terms with their inability to find work in their craft and move on successfully. I’ve also helped relationships through difficult passages and, if a relationship breaks down, helped the partners work at a more amicable separation.