Dr. Jaffe’s Background
Dr. Robert B. Jaffe has been working as a licensed therapist in Encino, California since 1984. He holds a Master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from the University of Laverne, and a Doctorate in Philosophy and Hypnotherapy from the American Institute of Hypnotherapy. His many years working in the community and his extensive academic training have established Dr. Jaffe as a seasoned and experienced therapist. Although he already has sufficient training in his field, Dr. Jaffe strives to remain aware and knowledgeable of contemporary research pertinent to his practice, and more so to his clients. As new information emerges through contemporary research, he strives to incorporate new and emerging information as it is relevant. When able, he travels to conferences, and seeks out experts for the best training and information possible.
While many of us these days may have difficulty finding time in our busy schedules to fit in therapy, Dr. Jaffe makes it easy. He operates a private therapy practice at a convenient intersection for most clients. Nestled close to the 101 and 405 freeways in Encino, California, his office is placed perfectly for many patients with busy schedules. When schedules are busy and overloaded, it is important to find a therapist close to our current travel routes. In addition to being a convenient location, his office is also easy to find; Next door to a McDonalds, and his building has plenty of available parking. Dr. Jaffe typically sees patients between 9am and 6pm Monday through Friday. With a range of hours throughout the day and an accessible location, finding a time to meet with Dr. Jaffe is easy and convenient.
Dr. Jaffe primarily works with adults and adolescents over the age of 12. In general, he works with clients experiencing a variety of symtoms and circumstances, though he does have several areas of specialty. These areas include trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and addictions (alcohol, substance use and process addiction, such as gambling and sex). Running alongside each of these, however, clients often experience relationship difficulties, either with family, friends, employers, as well as partners and spouses. As important as relationships are Dr. Jaffe has chosen to include relationship issues as one of his areas of specialty. in order to provide holistic care for his clients, in all areas of life. Our difficulties in one area, unfortunately, do not stay compartmentalized, but tend to bleed into other parts of our life. Dr. Jaffe recognizes this, and works to provide competent, sensitive, and comprehensive treatment for all individuals coming to see him. For clients under 12 years of age, Dr. Jaffe can provide a referral to a competent professional specializing in that area, and believes that this is important to help facilitate treatment. He knows many other professionals in the area, and can connect patients to a therapist in areas in which he does not specialize, for a variety of needs.
There are many factors that come together to create an effective therapy session, and first and foremost among these is the building of trust. Clients often enter therapy having been injured in close, intimate relationships, making it difficult for them to know who, or how to trust others. Clients must be able to trust their therapist, and the therapist has to work to develop this within the therapeutic relationship. To facilitate this, Dr. Jaffe strives to embody genuine care and concern for his patients. One of the ways he does so is through what he calls “carefronting.” To him, this means speaking honestly, and explaining why he is saying what he is saying, at this particular moment. Honesty, without tact or genuine concern for another person, can be harsh and off-putting, and therefore counter-productive to the therapeutic process, so he strives to communicate in a way that is both conscientious and respectful. Honesty, though sometimes difficult to hear, is vital for personal growth to occur. Dr. Jaffe combines honesty with gentleness, and when mixed with genuine care for the client’s wellbeing, creates what Dr. Jaffe calls “carefronting”. When done with empathy, this helps foster an atmosphere of love and trust, which is necessary for positive change and growth to occur.
Though length of treatment and even therapy itself may appear different from person to person, the first session with Dr. Jaffe looks similar for every client. When clients come to therapy for the first time, he will invite them to tell their story in their own words and ask questions throughout. Toward the end, Dr. Jaffe will provide feedback regarding what he thinks needs most attention, and from there, collaborates with clients to determine how frequently to meet. There is no standard length of therapy, and how long therapy may take is both dishonest, and not helpful, since it would create unrealistic expectations. How quickly the client is able to access, understand, evaluate, integrate, and act upon the therapeutic discussions, is dependent upon a whole host of factors pertaining to each individual, and are impossible to predict.
After the first session, the therapeutic is always individualized, and although clients may have similar reasons for coming to therapy, no two people have exactly the same talents, abilities, interests, genetics or upbringing. One slogan among psychotherapists is that “No two children have the same parents”. This is true, because, even among identical siblings, there are many differences, and parents never treat each sibling in an identical way, despite their best intentions. Dr. Jaffe understands this, and works to structure therapy in the way most beneficial to each individual, and as the process unfolds, he learns more about the person, and uses that information to continuously improve the treatment. This includes determining what techniques to bring to therapy. He integrates a variety of techniques in his practice, but is selective about which interventions are appropriate, always prioritizing what will be most helpful at any given moment. This includes consistently checking in with the client to understand what they are thinking and feeling about how the therapy is progressing. This is rooted in evidence-based practices for mental health concerns, with a patient-centered approach that always prioritizes the clients responses to the treatment At one moment, delving into family history, and particularly relationships with parents may be an appropriate topic of conversation. At other times discussions centering on the relationship between thoughts and emotions may be of top priority. Each session is used to both focus on the most important issue(s) that brought the person into therapy, and, at the same time, deal with their major concerns of the moment. The proper integration of these two goals is what the experienced psychotherapist brings to the table. Knowing what to focus on, and having the proper training and experiences to know what is needed at any given moment, is what separates the novice from the experienced psychotherapist. Combined with genuine care, respect and concern, plus being familiar with the various schools of therapy, i.e., Gestault, Psychoanalysis, object relations, cognitive-behavioral, transactional analysis, client centered, nlp, hypnosis, and when to employ each, is the hallmark of the optimal therapeutic experience for the client. There are a wide variety of tools available in therapy, and just as one tool cannot be used to fix everything in a house, Dr. Jaffe endeavors to select the appropriate tool for each of his clients, at the appropriate time.
Dr. Jaffe’s passion is to provide excellent care for a broad spectrum of mental health concerns. If you live in Encino, Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks, San Fernando, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, or Pasadena, and would like to begin therapy services, contact him today using either the ‘Contact Me’ page, or call his office directly at (818)906-7079.
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