“If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step,you know it’s not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That’s why it’s your path.”
— Joseph Cambell
Thoughts on Therapy
What therapy is: A co-created safe space to reflect on the current issues and historical concerns you would like to address. You can use this time to identify goals and values that can help pull you towards the life and feelings you would like to inhabit. It is a safe space to feel the feelings and voice your concerns without judgement.
Whether you are having challenges with grief or a transition in your life, let’s help you focus your energy on what you want and what you need. The aim is to help you understand principal ideas and create solutions that will allow you to experience your life, and end-of-life to the fullest.
Therapy can be a challenging endeavor and sometimes things feel worse before they get better, therefore commitment to the therapeutic process is an important part of reaching long term goals. I believe building a trusting therapeutic alliance is the key to therapeutic change.
Since each individual is the expert on his or her own life and needs, the therapeutic process is shaped around the goals that you set for yourself, your relationship or your family. I believe that family of origin experiences are an important influence on current relationship dynamics and behavioral patterns, so it is likely that we will spend some time exploring those experiences.
What therapy is not: advice and/or answers given to you. This is a co-created space to explore YOUR goals and how you want to tackle the challenges in front of you. Please note- I am not a psychiatrist/medication provider and cannot offer prescriptions or testing of any kind.
“Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary.”
— Fred Rogers
Possible goals & outcomes
What and who do you want to be in this world? What is your purpose? And how do you get there? These are some questions that bring you to therapy. Welcome to your space to find your why. Dive deep, get answers.
Possible goals in therapy: feel less reactive to others or experiences, feel less overwhelmed by grief, improved communication, personal exploration, psychological awareness, emotional support, reduced feelings of anxiety or depression, cognitive changes, behavioral changes, reflection on family of origin or past trauma, and system adjustment.
Examples of possible improvements include: improving relationships, reducing depression or anxiety, reducing conflict, feeling better, improving life satisfaction, grief feeling manageable, finding clarity, discovering parts of the self, etc.
Modalities:
Below are some modalities we may use to get you where you want to go. Everyone is different, and we will co-create a safe therapeutic alliance in order to find the methods that work best for your concerns and the person you are today. I encourage clients to give feedback on what is working/not working, so we can adjust and get you to where you want to be.
I utilize an integrative approach that carefully and thoughtfully selects from several useful models: Existential therapy, Experiential therapy, Brainspotting , Humanistic psychology, Family Systems theory, Cognitive-behavioral therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Feminist theory.
I believe that family of origin experiences are an important influence on current relationship dynamics and behavioral patterns, so it is likely that we will spend some time exploring those experiences.
We will often discuss the connection of your brain and body, encouraging this connection fosters your ability to respond, versus reacting, to situations and ideas. The ultimate goal; identifying and reaching your potential.
Brainspotting: “Where you look affects how you feel”. This brain-body technique is considered a gentle therapeutic experience. Simplified by focusing on the visual field while listening to bilateral music. You can watch these videos to learn more: Brief Video , Demonstration , Longer Description
“Whatever the client was experiencing changed. Images and memories came more quickly. Emotions and body experience went deeper and moved on more rapidly and easily. Clients also got to observe the process while they were in it. The process was fascinating and still is.”
― David Grand, Brainspotting: The Revolutionary New Therapy for Rapid and Effective Change
Thantology/Existential Therapy: The experience of discussing issues of mortality, and being heard, is one that promises hope and allows us to find the strength and courage to live fully in the present. End-of-life issues and grief can cause stress to you and your relationships. Allow this to be a space to gently address these concerns.
“Though the physicality of death destroys us, the idea of death may save us.” ― Irvin D. Yalom, The Gift of Therapy
Relational/Systemic Therapy focus: Whether you desire guidance through a stressful situation, need help resolving a conflict, or want to safeguard your relationship, through the process of counseling, you can learn skills and discover balance during life transitions. Together we will tailor a relationship-focused therapy approach to your specific needs so you can attain the change and connection you're striving for.
“When we are no longer able to change a situation—we are challenged to change ourselves.” — Viktor Frankl
ACT Therapy (Acceptance and Commitment): Based in mindfulness, this is an action oriented therapeutic modality. Identifying your values, identifying the committed actions you would like to/are willing to take, and working towards psychological flexibility are front and center in this therapy.
“We are in this stew together. We are caught in the same traps. With a small twist of fate, I could be sitting across from you, and you could be sitting across from me—both of us in opposite roles. Your problems are a special opportunity for you to learn and for me to learn. We are not cut from different cloths, but rather from the same cloth.”
― Steven C. Hayes, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Process and Practice of Mindful Change