Paul Cloud has experience working with individuals, couples, and families. As a therapist, he aims to provide a safe and secure therapeutic relationship, allowing the client(s) to unpack and explore repeating patterns of emotions, cognitions, and behaviors that obstruct a more satisfying relationship with the self, others, and the ever evolving world around them.

He has successfully utilized the evidenced based practices of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to treat anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, phase of life issues, as well as relational discord and disconnect.

What would your clients and colleagues say is your therapist superpower?

I imagine my clients and colleagues may say my therapist’s superpower is a combination of my ability to track, organize, and distill what he or she is sharing, as well as my compassionate and empathetic response. This allows him or her to simultaneously feel heard and supported in that moment.

Is there an example from your daily life where you practice what you preach?

My wife and I have been together for over 15 years. Inevitably, we have experienced challenging moments as we learn about one another. However, to this day, when we lose our balance, I will encourage us both to slow the moment – allowing the relationship time and space to regain some of its balance – followed by a conscious effort to explore and understand each other’s perception of what triggered the moment of disconnect, along with each other’s unmet relational need.

What does a typical session with you look like?

A typical session with me begins and ends with the present process for the client in both body and mind. From this point, the client and I will either begin exploring what surfaced or continue with the thread from past therapy session(s). The majority of sessions are very collaborative in nature, with the client providing the material and with the therapist helping the client to understand and see the repeating patterns of emotions, perceptions, and behavioral responses that perpetuate his or her emotional distress. In addition, I may provide him or her with psychotherapeutic strategies to help alleviate some of this emotional distress such as anxiety, fear, or depression.

What is one thing you’ve learnt through your own therapy?

One thing I have learnt through my own therapy is that the therapeutic process can feel uncomfortable at times. Subsequently, it is paramount that the client experiences the therapist as a safe and secure harbor, allowing him or her into the client’s most personal and private spaces. Without this trust, therapy is unlikely to provide the understanding and progress a client is ultimately searching for.

For more information, please visit www.paulcloudtherapy.com