Treatment Philosophy, Part 1

I did not know what to do for my first blog. I though that I may write about my favorite principles in counseling, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy information, or the use of motivational interviewing techniques, or even discussing intermittent reinforcement. I was also thinking about crisis intervention techniques or how you must learn to use verbal and non verbal cues in forensic settings in order to understand the treatment needed. Then I figured it would probably make sense to introduce myself.
I am Steve Bisson. I have been an LMHC for about 6 years now. I have had my masters for 8 years. I consider that I have been doing some form or another of professional counseling since 1999, when I moved to Massachusetts from Montreal, Quebec, Canada to take a job as a case manager in a residential program. I was born and raised on the South Shore of Montreal and raised in a French school system. I speak French and English fluently but I do consider French as my first language/mother tongue as I went to school in French and spoke mostly French with my extended family. My father is a native English speaker and I thank him and my mom for teaching me English, which afforded me the chance to have many opportunities in my life.
My undergraduate degree is a B.A. in Psychology from McGill University. I learned a whole lot about research and...the fact that I didn't want to do research. When I moved to Massachusetts, I was able to attend Assumption College and obtain my Masters in Counseling Psychology with specialties in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Children and Family Counseling.
A few things that influence my work: first and foremost, I really believe that I cannot change anyone. The reason? I can give anyone the tools in order to make changes in their lives but I cannot change you. I really believe it is one of my first statements to people who come to counseling. The second thing that comes out of my mouth is that I am brutally honest. I don't believe in sugar-coating. I believe in not "protecting" individuals. Sure, I may say things in a way that are not harmful but I will not lie to anyone in order "to help". Humans are not weak, people have strengths and they need to find these strengths. Lying to someone will not make anyone stronger.
Finally, I don't use "psychobabble" as I call it. What I mean by that is that I do not use the big psychology words in order to impress my clients. There are a few reasons for that. First and foremost, I hear the complaints of some clients who told me that their previous therapists use to say things they did not understand. I think most professions, not just counselors,  try to use words to disguise themselves as "professionals" and "experts". I don't believe in that. Second, I think you explain the "psychobabble", people feel empowered and that's what you need to do. Finally, my first language is French. I use to read the "psychobabble" in my undergraduate classes and found it confusing, so I had to simplify it for myself to understand it better. When I did understand it, I felt more knowledgeable. And again, people love knowledge.