Stephen J. Cummings, PhD

Stephen J. Cummings, PhD
Clinical Psychologist

PSYCHOTHERAPY
In order to come to a psychotherapist, you seek clarity from confusion, release from ambivalence, and a sense of choice and freedom in the midst of depression. The rhythm and pace of change is difficult to predict. If you stick with the process over a long enough period of time, some real changes can actually occur.

A problem arises when the person who becomes a client encounters resistance to changing the very things that clearly cause unhappiness. What we must do initially is to identify the nodal points of resistance and respect their existence, honoring their historical usefulness during our developing years.

Genuine change takes a lot of time and courage, patience and tolerance of ambiguity. Plus some financial commitment. In spite of all the magic advertised by the latest American cures, real personality alteration accrues for adults at a gradual pace.

Sometimes you may be referred for a medication evaluation to see if you can benefit sufficiently from temporary chemical intervention to calm down, focus, and actively participate in your psychotherapy process. You may also be administered psychological testing in order for us to get at aspects of yourself that may be submerged or not reported.

Because I have had exposure to such a wide variety of training experiences, my approach is necessarily eclectic and pragmatic. I was originally a behaviorist who incorporated social learning theory into my practice. These cognitive-behavioral schemas became intermixed with psychoanalytic training I got during my post-doctoral internship. Accordingly, my approach varies with the needs of each client. There is no doubt that the client-therapist relationship is far more important than specific techniques. Trust and comfort are essential to self-disclosure and openness to change. My style is informal, pragmatic and interactive. I view the therapeutic relationship as a partnership between client and therapist. The success of your therapy rests largely on your openness, active participation, and commitment to change in the face of resistance.

Some people require new thinking habits and behavior, while others need to learn social skills. For persons with longstanding issues, it is essential to understand and process childhood experiences, identify key events, complete unfinished feelings, and learn to better recognize, label, and express thoughts and reactions. Psychotherapy often entails recalling unpleasant aspects of your personal history and/or experiencing some discomfort. Experiencing these feelings, rather than denying them, within a corrective therapeutic setting, can lead to reduced levels of distress, better relationships, improved interpersonal skills, and a greater sense of autonomy.

PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS
I have done a wide variety of psychological evaluations in the past 29 years. I enjoy the challenge of asking useful questions, conducting psychological testing, and making sense out of a situation in order to provide recommendations. Depending upon the project's purpose and scope, I conduct an initial interview to understand your goals and the ultimate purpose of the evaluation. I will then communicate to you my tentative plan for completing the evaluation. Ordinarily, I will administer personality inventories and/or intelligence testing to supplement my own observations. In many cases, I recommend contact with collateral third parties such as teachers, relatives, and objective professionals. If you have documents relevant to your situation, they are essential in understanding the background of your case. I may conduct a series of interviews, if necessary, to obtain clarity about what is so and what is not so. I then write a thorough and timely evaluation.

The range of evaluations is broad and may include the following situations: Child Custody/Parenting Plans; Court-ordered Psychological Evaluations to Assess Competency and Risk; Mitigation Assessments for Attorneys; School/Residential Placement for Children; Learning Disabilities or High Achieving Students; Juvenile Hall Assessments; Workplace Harassment; Civil Law Suits alleging injuries; Treatment Recommendations.

My fees are $250/hour, slightly below the average for this area. If testimony or depositions is required, I charge $300/hour. Generally speaking, I have fast turn-around time and occasionally work on weekends to accommodate our mutual schedules.