How I work

I am the go-to Christian Counselor for the Louisville area for individual and martial recovery from infidelity and addictive behavior.

Unlike most counselors, I will give you lots of feedback during the first session. My goal is always to outgrow my job, and I want you to have a taste of what my feedback, guidance and encouragement feels like before you decide whether to come back. I often give my feedback on a digital file sent to your email. All this takes time, so I give 75 minutes to the first session.

For those who come back, the next few sessions continue to be as much diagnosis as therapy. I listen to you tell your story of how you and others have tried to solve your problems before I try to offer many new solutions. We build together a base of understanding from which we can plan your life. We collaborate to reexamine your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in the situations which are giving you problems.

Counseling helps you to learn more effective ways to cope with those situations, and with similar situations in the future. Together, you and I will identify the goals of therapy, and discuss how you can reach those goals. The terms for working together are spelled out on my Work With Me page. Head there to find out more!

Mission Statement

To inspire more positive attitudes, relationships and experiences.

-Dr. Paul F. Schmidt

My Approach

Research shows that psychotherapy can be very effective in solving personal problems. Nine out of ten Americans surveyed by Consumer Reports who had had counseling said that it had helped them in their lives. A review in the American Psychologist of over 75 studies concluded that psychotherapy is even more effective when clients know that they share major values and beliefs with their therapist. It is not my job to promote my values and beliefs with my clients, but rather to use theirs to help them solve their problems. But if you want to check and see how compatible your priorities and lifestyle are with mine, click on Values & Beliefs under the “About Me” in the menu above.

Specialties

Individual, Marital, and Family Counseling
Life Coaching sessions may be inside or outside the office, or in a secure, encrypted Zoom room
Sexual Performance Disorders
Single Adult Relationships
Twelve Step Recovery
Psychological Testing
Sexual Addiction
Career Guidance
Marital Infidelity
Public Speaking

Credentials

1965 – 1969 Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
B.A., cum laude, with honors in psychology
1970 – 1974 University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado

M.A., Clinical Psychology, August, 1972
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, August, 1974, 5-yr. GPA – 3.91 out of 4

2006 CSAT Certified Sex Addiction Therapist
International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals, Phoenix, AZ

Publications

Schmidt, Paul F., Coping with Difficult People, Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1980. Book on relating to people who have personality disorders.

Schmidt, Paul F., Growing Your Love Life, Charleston, SC: Booksurge, 2007. Subtitled, “Vital Balance in Single Adult Relationships”, book is available on Amazon.com.

Schmidt, Paul F., The Character Assessment Scale. Copyrighted test materials and manual published by the Institute of Character Assessment, l981. Presented also to the 1981 annual convention of the American Psychological Association , and sold in over a dozen countries.

Paul Schmidt, PhD