Interview with Alexander Borrello, LLPC

Alexander Borrello, LLPC is a Limited Licensed Professional Counselor practicing at our East Location in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Alexander is passionate about working with adults, adolescents, and couples dealing with a wide range of mental health concerns. Contact us to schedule an intake appointment with Alexander.

1. What is your specialty?

I specialize in depression, grief, and challenges of identity and worldview. Dissatisfaction with life and feeling lost after traumatic events are signals to discover a new way forward. No one knows you better than you can know yourself. Through increasing self-awareness, I help clients clarify who they are, where they are going, what they believe in, and why.

2. What made you want to become a therapist?

In my early adolescence, I found an innate curiosity for the rationale of human thought and behavior. Why did I think and act as I did, and why were others as they were? Years as a theatre actor and director challenged me to answer these questions by assuming the lives of characters, but I learned it cannot be done well without also bringing our authentic self. We often lose ourselves in the ‘roles’ we play in daily life; and though we may need to adapt and present ourselves differently in different contexts, I see a solid foundation of identity as essential to living the best life in those contexts. I hope therapy gives clients curiosity to find their authentic selves.

3. What can clients expect when they first come to therapy? What is a typical therapy session like with you?

While therapy varies by client, I do offer some structure. The first few sessions are focused on getting to know the client – needs, preferences, strengths, challenges, and important life areas (occupation, relevant family, etc.). Regular sessions will touch on important events since the previous session, themes from recent sessions, any new foci for therapy, and affirming or editing plans going forward. Sessions are often client-led and Socratic in style, though I often incorporate personality constructs, existential psychology themes, and mindfulness as appropriate.

4. How have you seen therapy be helpful to your clients?

Daily life seldom offers the opportunity to self-reflect or speak plainly to others. Obligations and getting from one day to the next can take all the time and energy we have, especially when mental health is an ongoing challenge. Therapy presents a time and space dedicated to one’s psychological and emotional needs. I have seen clients looking to their next life stage process their decision-making aloud for the first time. Some clients have a visceral memory they can neither face nor escape and give it the mental energy it demands to be released. Other clients simply want to vent about weekly stressors. Therapy begins the moment a client realizes they need a space and has the willingness to fully utilize it.

5. What do you think are the most important considerations when looking for a therapist?

The relationship between the client and therapist always comes first. The therapy process is a collaboration that requires safety, trust, and a readiness to explore challenging subjects. Beyond that, it always helps to find a therapist who fits your personality and needs. I recommend anyone looking into seeing a particular therapist read the information provided and see if their approach/outlook sounds appropriate and impactful for you. The more comfortable and ‘excited’ (as strange as that may sound) a client is to enter into the process with their particular therapist, the better it often goes.

6. What do you hope your clients walk away with?

With each session, I hope clients walk away with something new to think about or try that may help their life, or at least generate ideas for the next session. Across the entire process and after therapy, I hope clients walk away with insight and self-understanding. I want clients to be honest with themselves about their needs and attitude toward life as well as practice self-compassion when there are bumps along the way.

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Visit Alexander’s profile to learn more about his counseling services, or to schedule an appointment.