THERAPY
THERAPEUTIC APPROACH
STRENGTH-BASED: We identify strengths, bring awareness and appreciation to your unique qualities, values, and experiences. This can build self-compassion and encourage self-esteem, so that you can more confidently move toward your goals. This inquiry and self-reflection can help you integrate your progress and draw on your strength and resilience, as you work through past and current challenges, and plan your future.
SOLUTION-FOCUSED: You might already have support in place, or are just learning about what you might need, and determining when and how to communicate this to others in your life, at school, or in the workplace. We can identify challenges and barriers (internally and externally) and explore effective ways to navigate the challenges you face, and the systems that can help or hinder you from meeting your goals. This can include self-advocacy, effective communication strategies, enlisting support, setting healthy boundaries, and establishing limits. These are all essential skills during any phase of life.
EXECUTIVE-FUNCTIONING
When you struggle with time management, organization, planning, getting started, staying on task, procrastinating, etc...) it can impact your life in so many ways. These challenges can amplify when there is a major change in life, such as relationships status, starting school, career change, having children, or encountering another major change in life. It's a lot, and you are not alone! We aren't all built for the pressure of our productivity culture. We will focus on self-compassion and self-acceptance, while also exploring techniques to help you manage your responsibilities, honor your needs, and make adjustments. This can lead to a path of less resistance, reducing anxiety, preventing or recovering from burnout.
SENSORY/BODY: We explore the physical/somatic experience, using this to inform ways to cultivate a regulated nervous system. We will explore your sensory needs and re-attune to your body's knowing of how to safely self-regulate (movement, stillness, soothing sensory stimulation, sensory breaks, rest). This is not always with the goal of taking on more, but often recognizing how to scale back and adjust your environment, and to focus on areas that are within your control. It can be empowering to understand your sensory needs, set limits, and prioritize greater ease in the body. I believe this is a foundation to most other areas of change.
ACTION AND GOAL-ORIENTED: We will explore thoughts, emotions, and actions, noticing the difference. We notice limiting beliefs, and areas where you are feeling held back. There is much that is outside of our control (internally, externally, and always the past). When you are feeling stuck, shifting attention to the areas that are within your control, often allows the pathway forward to become much clearer. We explore the actions that will bring you into alignment with your values and goals, one step at time. I will follow your pace and help you identify your goals.
INTEGRATIVE: We draw from the above Evidence-Based approaches (in and out of sessions) and you are encouraged to utilize any other resources and practices outside of therapy that you find helpful to your overall wellness. Not a single approach to health (mentally and physically) will impact everyone the same. We all have different needs, brains, accessibility, body chemistry, genes, lived experiences, etc. My goal is to help you find the practices and supports that will be most effective, accessible (internally and externally), and that will benefit your overall wellness long-term.
EFFECTIVE THERAPY
"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." Andy Warhol
Therapy is not a magic fix (and you are not broken). This process can bring forth change and healing, relief from symptoms, agency, and space for new experiences. It can also be uncomfortable at times, and I am here to help you through that, and to find greater ease in the process.
This is a collaborative process and you will get the most out of it when you are consistent and take action outside of sessions.
Personalize your experience
- Many clients find that it is helpful to write (in and out of sessions). This can serve as a guide for sharing with me, practicing, and utilizing tools (a therapy journal). You can also use audio and explore this with me in session.
- Ask questions if I am unclear, and let me know if we need to make adjustments (pacing, etc...).
- Explore your preferred communication and learning styles that will support the therapy process (visual tools or writing).
- I will encourage you to learn and share your sensory needs.
- You are welcome to move around during session, to take care of your physical needs and sensory system.
- I offer art supplies, and you are welcome to bring another activity to work on during sessions if this feels supportive to you and helpful to the therapy process. We can talk about this more in session.