T. Rob Winkler, MA, LP, RPT-S
"The most therapeutic conversation you will have in my office will not be with me, but with yourself!"
I enjoy the opportunity to help clients find what they need through a creative experience in addition to conventional talk therapy. I embrace activity-based therapeutic approaches which facilitate communication or insight otherwise unable to be heard and recognized through normal dialogue. Activities provide opportunities for the mind, body, and soul to gain an understanding and thereby foster a personal growth experience!
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I have a natural way of narrating activity & play which extends my presence and allows me to bring awareness to what I call "living cognitions." Often, before we are able to understand something, we must experience it. This experience becomes a living cognition that is consolidated into an understanding and used as a tool in other situations. This is especially true for children & adolescents. A living cognition remains an experience until we are made aware of it and understand how to generalize it to other situations. Metaphor is used to make the living cognition a working tool which can be applied to other situations to guide behavior, problem-solving, and mental understanding. To summarize, I am a guide into activities which can offer positive & helpful living cognitions and promote a personal growth experience!
Hi, I'm Rob Winkler!
Therapeutic strengths include: facilitating awareness, crafting creative activities for metaphor, using metaphor to bridge experience for greater understanding, honoring autonomy, reframing viewpoints into more positive perspectives, and using humor.
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The academic: I have a Master's in counseling psychology & I am credentialed as a registered play therapist. I continue to educate myself on expressive art therapies as they fit my approach, theory, and passion. I further focus my continued education in the areas listed below.
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Technical jargon: I work from a foundation built on Gestalt & Client-Centered principles. This foundation is intentionally built and strengthened in every session to include: unconditional positive regard, empathy, and congruence. On top of this foundation, I become more directive through these theories: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing.
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Areas of special focus: ADHD, anger, anxiety, depression, the parent-child relationship, and trauma.
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Approach: I am proud to employ a unique therapeutic team approach with an apprentice intern working by my side to offer more comprehensive therapy than I could offer by myself. In the initial meeting, my intern will be taking notes so I can engage more fully with the client and family. During all of my therapy sessions with clients, the intern will be observing the session through an observation window. After each session, the intern and I will explore and evaluate my therapeutic effectiveness and identify opportunities for the next session. The family will be encouraged to allow the intern to visit their home once a week for an in-home family session to expand & strengthen the work done in the office. This approach offers more observation, intervention, and evaluation of the therapy process, making it a more comprehensive model for client care than an individual therapist could provide. All details and arrangements for utilizing interns will be discussed and agreed upon with clients.
Rob's Interns
Could this be you?
I am without an intern for the first time in 13 years!
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I have accepted my next intern, and she is scheduled to begin in September 2023.
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If you are interested in applying to become an intern at Playmore click here.
Rob's Services & Fees
Services:
I offer individual and family therapy. I am a registered play therapist and utilize creative activities inside sessions. I am passionate about the therapeutic power of activity. My areas of specialty are listed above.​
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Fees:
I am a fee-for-service provider, which means I do not accept insurance. You may be reimbursed by your insurance company for my services if you choose to request "out-of-network" reimbursement. Please verify the specific requirements for reimbursement with your insurance provider, and I will be happy to provide you with the appropriate receipt, billing codes, and diagnosis needed (insurance will not reimburse if there is no diagnosis).
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Payment is due at the time of service, and I accept cash, check, or credit card payments, including Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) cards.
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My hourly rate is $150/hr - there is no fee for my apprentice intern's 2 hr. home session. Many insurance programs compensate 50% for out-of-network payments; therefore, with 3 therapy hours, your hourly rate out of pocket could be $25 per hour.
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#1 – Laugh More
Laughing releases our feel-good chemicals! The old adage "you will laugh about this someday" is frequently true- so why not start laughing now? Consider laughter yoga, trying improv, or going to a comedy show. In daily practice, simply laughing at all of the idiosyncrasies present in the human experience opens opportunities for joy.
#2 – Look for Opportunities
Tough times and pain do not escape anyone. Challenges at work, struggles with your kids, stress about your parents, and all kinds of other difficulties are part of life. One's ability to find the opportunity for growth, learning, or laughter in these hardships has a giant influence on how these events are experienced.
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#3 – Find Your Want
We are required to do things that are uncomfortable in order to achieve our goals. It is this discomfort that might be what keeps us from reaching our goals. How do we do the tough things we know we need to do? Find the want! For example, I don't like going to the dentist, but I want clean teeth and a bright smile. If I am able to create and focus on a large want list, it will help me face my challenges and accomplish my goals!
