Blog

therapist, advice, advice in therapy, male therapist, therapist in tampa, tampa therapist, carrollwood counseling, carrollwood therapist, secular therapist, anxiety therapist, why therapist's dont give advice, can my therapist give me advice, looking for advice, how to start therapy, therapist near me, finding a therapist

Therapy Advice • Counseling • Therapy July 8, 2019 By Joel Schmidt 0 Comments

Looking for Advice? You might be Disappointed.

I remember being corrected very quickly on the first day of my first graduate-level Intro to Counseling Course – back when I was a wee-little aspiring Therapist – when I used the word “advice” to refer to something that might be offered to a client during a therapy session. “We don’t give advice”, I was told by my professor. She then went on to explain all of the reasons why…I got it…but it prompted a huge shift in the ideas I had about therapy and how it is we go about promoting and facilitating change in the lives of others. Read more

carrollwood counseling, anger management, anger counseling, tampa therapy, tampa therapist, male therapist, counseling in carrollwood

Self-improvement anger • personalization June 22, 2019 By Joel Schmidt 0 Comments

Q-TIP: Quit Taking it Personally

We all know (or have known) someone who easily loses their cool in traffic – or who might be inclined to punch someone in the face if just looked at the wrong way. We all probably also know someone who doesn’t really seem triggered by anything. They’re able to brush off even the harshest of dirty looks, bad drivers, and insults. Read more

male therapist, ask a therapist, tampa therapist, tampa counselor, carrollwood counselor, carrollwood therapist, carrollwood therapy, carrollwood mental health, about therapy

Question and Answer About Therapy • Frequently Asked Questions May 28, 2019 By Joel Schmidt 0 Comments

Ask a Therapist Anything – Part 3 of 3

This is part 3 of 3 in my “Ask a Therapist Anything” series. Here, I answer questions about the general agenda for sessions, what kind of an environment is most conducive to opening up, and whether or not I’ve been to therapy myself.

If you missed Parts 1 and 2, you can check them out here. See Part 1 or Part 2 “Ask a Therapist Anything”. Read more

ask a therapist, about therapy, how long does therapy last, finding a therapist, find a counselor, male therapist, tampa therapist, counseling in tampa, counselor carrollwood, carrollwood counseling

Question and Answer About Therapy • Frequently Asked Questions May 15, 2019 By Joel Schmidt 0 Comments

Ask a Therapist Anything – Part 2 of 3

This is part 2 of 3 in my “Ask a Therapist Anything” Series. Here, I answer questions about the difference between a Therapist and Counselor, how many sessions the average person needs, why I don’t take insurance, and how as a male Therapist I feel about my ability to work with females.

If you missed part 1, check out Part 1 of 3 – Ask a Therapist Anything.
Read more

ask a therapist, questions about therapy, about therapy, what to expect in therapy, male therapist, tampa therapist, carrollwood counseling, counselor carrollwood, therapist carrollwood, therapy carrollwood

Therapy About Therapy • Frequently Asked Questions May 10, 2019 By Joel Schmidt 0 Comments

Ask a Therapist Anything – Part 1 of 3

I recently reached out to family and friends on Social Media giving them the opportunity to “Ask a Therapist Anything”. In my Blog posts I strive for as much transparency as possible and try to provide people with a glimpse into the often mysterious/private world of Therapy. I’ve written about why people decide to go (or not to go) to therapy, benefits of therapy, a little bit about what actually happens in my office, and more. I wondered, though, what questions people have about therapy that I may not have considered. The response I got when providing people with the opportunity to ask me anything was great….and I want to go ahead and jump right in to answering the questions. Although many of my answers are broadly true as it relates to therapy in general, keep in mind that the answers to these questions are from the perspective of one Therapist alone – ME. Ask the same questions to another Therapist and the answer might be a little bit different. Follow this 3-part series to hear the answer to the question about whether or not I’ve been to therapy myself along with a long list of other questions that I hope you’ll find intriguing. Read more

best therapist, male therapist, finding a therapist, tampa therapist, carrollwood therapist, carrollwood counselor, carrollwood therapist

Therapy About Therapy • Find a Therapist April 30, 2019 By Joel Schmidt 0 Comments

Finding the BEST Therapist in Tampa

Spoiler Alert: Although I know a lot of GREAT Therapists in Tampa, I won’t be recommending any single best Therapist for you in this blog post. Why, you ask? Well If I did have to make that recommendation, then my bias alone would force me to recommend myself 🙂 – and it might not be true FOR YOU. That’s because the best Therapist just so happens to be the Therapist that is best for you. Read more

Tampa therapist, tampa counselor, benefits of exercise, exercise and mental health, carrollwood counselor, counseling carrollwood, therapy in carrollwood, carrollwood therapy

Benefits of Exercise Anxiety • Depression • Exercise • stress • Stress Relief April 24, 2019 By Joel Schmidt 0 Comments

My 100 Mile March – And all of the Benefits Noticed

At the end of February, I decided to set some pretty aggressive goals for March. Goals varied in nature, but were linked to areas of personal growth, professional development, and overall improvement of my health. One of my goals was to run 100 miles in March by starting off each day with a jog early in the morning. I’m already a pretty regular runner, but usually had only ever averaged about 2 miles per day (or 60 miles each month) and rarely ever ran more than a few days in a row, so this was upping my normal routine by more than a mile each day and motivating me to avoid skipping any days. Read more

male therapist, secular therapist, tampa counselor, counselor tampa, therapist tampa, counselor tampa, carrollwood counselor, carrollwood therapist

Therapy About Therapy April 13, 2019 By Joel Schmidt 0 Comments

Let me tell you about my Clients

Before anybody reading this freaks out, I should start by saying there are a few things that prevent me from sharing any specific details (or identifying information) about the individuals I work with. They’re things like HIPAA, The American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics, and a set of personal values/beliefs (outside of legal requirements) I hold that allow me to create an environment of trust. The sensitive things people share with me stay within the 4 walls of my office. As I attempt to draw a picture for you about the people I work with, I’ll do so in a very general sense – in a way that allows me to illustrate the kind of common traits I see and the admiration and gratitude I have for the people who allow me the privilege of joining them on a very personal kind of journey. Read more

counseling for stress, male therapist, tampa therapy, counseling tampa, tampa counseling, tampa therapy, secular therapy, feeling stuck, too many problems

Self-improvement Anxiety • stress • Stress Relief March 11, 2019 By Joel Schmidt 0 Comments

Compartmentalize Problems to Decrease Stress and Move Forward

Does it ever feel like you’re facing a mountain of problems and negative feelings in your life? Often times when we don’t have our thoughts, feelings, and problems organized (or compartmentalized) properly, the multiple things we are facing in life can seem like all too much to handle. Read more

Secular Therapy, secular therapist, tampa secular therapy, religion, spirituality, deconversion, nonreligious counseling

Secular Therapy About Therapy • Secular Therapy February 16, 2019 By Joel Schmidt 0 Comments

Secular Therapy – What it is and Who can Benefit

I should probably start by saying that most therapy – unless otherwise specified – is or at least should be secular in nature. The term “secular” simply refers to “attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis”. Practices and theories for psychotherapy are rooted in evidence-based practices, so as I already suggested, therapy for mental health issues starts off with the assumption that it is secular in nature unless marketed as otherwise (Example: A trained therapist who identifies as a Christian Counselor and who works with this population by combining spiritual/religious elements into the treatment process, might make this clear when speaking to potential clients and that’s perfectly fine.) We therapists, however, are trained to meet clients where they are. We understand that we won’t always work with clients who share a similar worldview as it relates to religious beliefs, values, political affiliation, etc. This means that if a therapist is serving someone who has a different worldview, the goal should be neutrality – understanding the client’s goals and helping them meet those goals in order to thrive without attempting to influence their values or beliefs. From my experience, most therapists are great at this. This generally makes it possible to get good care and therapy regardless of a therapist’s own worldview. Their worldview, after all, is not the focus and it may never be necessary to know. Because of this, when seeking therapy, it’s generally not important to know where a therapist stands in terms of their own values or beliefs. Read more