Dr. Stephen Boren, PsyD, Clinical Psychologist

PERSONAL STATEMENT:

You may be in a rut due to some painful experience in your life. It may be that you just cannot get rid of a sad mood; you feel alone; you may have difficulty at work; you may experience nervousness all the time and do not know why. Your marriage or relationship might be breaking up. I can help with these and other difficulties such as major life transitions or coping with all kinds of trauma, from childhood trauma to combat trauma. All these life difficulties may cause you such shame or embarrassment that you are wary of talking to your friends or family about them, or despite their best efforts, they are not able to help you find your way out of these frightening and painful places. Then, you may well be helped by psychotherapy.

I have a B.A. cum laude in Psychology from American University and a Doctor of Psychology degree from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology. When working with an individual, I do not believe that one size fits all in psychotherapy. Rather, the course of action taken with a patient starts with a patient and is based upon his/her situation. While many factors affect the quality of the outcome of psychotherapy, my experience has led me to conclude that one of the most important aspects is the quality of the relationship between patient and therapist. Thus, I will strive to understand you, establish rapport with you, and create conditions that make for a safe and trusting relationship. I also believe that that a very valuable aspect for many people is self-knowledge or insight. Often, we don't know why we do self-defeating things and gaining insight into why can have curative value.

Education

• American University, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
• Illinois School of Professional Psychology, Doctor of Psychology