Dr. Reid Whiteside

Theoretical Orientation

My therapeutic approach is eclectic and pragmatic, and my personal style tends to be active, informal, and goal-oriented. Unfortunately, to me “eclectic” carries the connotation of an undirected mish-mash of approaches. What I mean by eclectic is different: I am qualified to offer a variety of treatment approaches but seek to use whichever “tool” is most likely to be helpful for a particular individual.

For example, for some clients a Solution-Focused Brief Therapy or cognitive-behavioral approach is clearly indicated; for others it may be desirable instead to slowly promote comfort, rapport, personal growth, and insight before (or instead of) focusing on bringing about specific behavior change. As another example of eclecticism, some people like to be given “homework” tasks and reading assignments; others greatly prefer the opportunity for unstructured exploration and inner reflection offered in the context of interpersonal and supportive psychotherapy. In family therapy especially, there are times for an “educational” approach, and there are times when firm guidance and limit-setting are needed.