Being a therapist means being able to reach out and take someone’s hand and provide consistency, stability, and hope while they navigate the hard stuff.
- Trace Walker Coffey
Working with me.
I work from the basis of a psychodynamic perspective and client-centered collaborative framework while incorporating ideas and techniques from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This means I help you tune into your life experiences and relationship patterns to guide us as a team to develop a deeper awareness into the development and inner workings of your current situation.
Within this exploration, I often allow you to take the lead in discussing what you find important as such can be telling of what you truly value and need. Sometimes just having someone sit in our difficult thoughts, feelings, and/or experiences with us can be the most healing. Additionally, one of my primary goals is to allow you to feel heard, cared for, and considered as I believe you know what you need and want, and can thrive when given space to explore such topics.
Throughout this process of developing insight, awareness, and our own connection, I utilize concepts, metaphors, and strategies to help you discover and tap into your values and strengths, accept and let go of your self-critic, and commit to your unique goals. As clinically indicated, I also incorporate Cognitive-Behavioral (CBT) and Dialectical-Behavioral (DBT) therapeutic techniques.
These are some areas where people find success with me:
Self Compassion / Self Acceptance
Finding space to feel the more difficult emotions
Finding purpose and meaning
Feeling stuck or lost
Feeling overwhelmed, drained, and stressed
Shame and Guilt
Depression and Sadness
Self-esteem
Anxiety
Relationship issues / Challenging relational dynamics
Interpersonal difficulties
Perfectionism
Identity concerns
Life/Professional Transitions
Therapy is a place to:
Explore and make sense of painful thoughts, feelings, and experiences in the presence of a non-judgmental witness.
Find validation in what you have gone through.
Gain insight into your unhelpful patterns.
Understand how your upbringing, family, and relationships have shaped you.
Explore the story you tell yourself about who you are and how to change that story.
Learn new, helpful ways to respond to emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and challenging life circumstances.
Come up with ideas on how to practice new ways of living.
What to Expect From Our Therapy.
Psychotherapy is a complex process and can be difficult to define or describe completely as it may look very different for each person. The process of psychotherapy varies depending on the personalities of the psychologist and client, as well as the problems leading you to seek help.
Psychotherapy is not like a visit to your medical doctor, as it calls for active engagement and reflection on the client’s part. Generally, psychotherapy is most effective when you are fully invested in learning about yourself. The amount of time you are in therapy can vary.
Sometimes, change may be easy and quick, but it can also be slow and frustrating. There are no instant, painless cures and no magic solutions. Lasting change comes from hard and consistent work. For therapy to be most successful, it will be important for you to work on things we talk about both during our sessions and at home.