Who Am I?

Education

My name is Laurie Khalouf and I am a counselor in training pursuing my Master of Arts Degree in Community Counseling at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.  I received by Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1995.

Counseling Related Work Experience

• I have counseled at-risk youth between the ages of 14 and 21 in residential treatment facilities from 1995 to present..
• I worked as a Graduate Assistant in the Counseling Service Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 1998-1999.
• I worked on The Family Research Project through Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic as an Intern and as a Research Assistant from 1993-1995.
• I worked as an intern on The Children’s After School Treatment Program with children between the ages of 5 and 12, who exhibited oppositional and defiant behaviors, from 1992-1993.

My Counseling Approach

What is counseling?

• Counseling is a process that brings about change by empowering you to make responsible connections with yourself, others, and the environment in order to safely and effectively fulfill your needs.
• Counseling provides a safe and supportive environment that fosters your personal growth and development.
• Counseling provides a healthy relationship with a professionally trained counselor who facilitates the development of your self-awareness.
• Counseling will allow you to deal with intrapersonal conflicts by assisting you in discovering, understanding, and becoming the person who you would like to be.
• Counseling provides you the opportunity to recognize that change must come from within.
• Counseling can teach you skills and build confidence that you may be lacking.
• Counseling can remedy problems that have been troubling you for a long time.
• Counseling can proactively enhance your growth and development.

What You Might Expect From the Counseling Process:

• You might expect to feel uncomfortable at times because changing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors may be new to you.
• You might expect family and friends to resist or resent your positive changes because they are not used to the new you.
• You might expect to work because change requires your effort.
• You might expect to learn things about yourself you might not have previously been aware of.
• You might expect to gain a better understanding of your problems and concerns.
• You might expect to find solutions to your problems that are right for you.
• You might expect to feel empowered as a result of the work that you do.
• You might expect to feel more confident, happy, and well adjusted then before you successfully completed counseling.
• You might expect to have a new admiration and acceptance of yourself.
• You might expect to learn that you are o.k.

My Responsibilities to You:

• I will begin and end sessions on time.
• I will make you aware of the session fees up front.
• I will be supportive, accepting, and empathic to your struggles.
• I will not judge you or give you advice.
• I will treat you with dignity and respect.
• I will be honest with you.
• I will accept your individuality and diversity.
• I will not violate your rights as a client.
• I will encourage you to find solutions that are right for you.

Your Responsibilities to Me:

• To arrive to sessions on time.
• To cancel appointments 24 hours in advance if possible.
• To participate in sessions sober.
• To be motivated to work for change both in and out of sessions.

• I believe that in the context of a caring and supportive relationship with me you will be able to experience previously denied or distorted feelings and increase your self-awareness.
• I believe that you will be empowered by participation in the therapeutic relationship.
• I believe that you can direct your own life without my interpretation and direction.
• I believe that you are the master of your fate and you ultimately know what is best for you.
• My approach will focus on you experiencing the present moment, accepting yourself, and deciding how you want to change.
• I believe that unfinished business, or unresolved feelings from the past, can be experienced in the context of our relationship so that you can be freed from maladaptive behaviors, thoughts, and feelings in your present life.
• I will ask you to talk about your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and provide a safe environment in which you may explore these in the present moment.
• We will work on establishing goals that are created by and implemented by you.
• Between sessions you may be asked to carry out activities that we devised as interventions in the sessions.
• I believe you are ultimately responsible for your well being and we will work together to discover answers that are right for you.

What Clients Am I Best Qualified To Work With?
 

• I am best qualified to work with adolescents and adults.
• I can engage clients in individual or group counseling sessions

• You have the right to be informed at all times of the purposes, goals, techniques, procedures, limitations, potential risks and benefits of services to be performed.
• You have the right to expect confidentiality and be informed of the limits of confidentiality.
• You have the right to refuse recommended services at any time and to be advised of the consequences of such refusal.
• You have the right to choose if you want to enter counseling and the right to chose who will provide your counseling.
• If you are a minor who is unable to give voluntary consent you have the right to expect me to act in your best interest.

Confidentiality:

• You have the right to privacy, therefore I will avoid illegal or unwarranted disclosure.
• You have the right to have the limits of confidentiality explained to you.
• You or your legal representative may waive your right to privacy at any time.

Limits of Confidentiality

Confidentiality does not apply when disclosure is required to prevent harm to yourself, a third party, or when legal requirements demand that confidentiality be breached.

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