LPC, 8 years of experience
New to Grow
Hi, I'm Mikaela, an independently licensed therapist dedicated to helping clients navigate life’s challenges for over 8 years. Taking that first brave step towards healing can feel both daunting and exhilarating, and I want to congratulate you on embracing this empowering journey - you've already shown incredible strength by being here today. Are you feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure of how to move forward? Do relationship challenges, anxiety, depression, emotional regulation issues, or past traumas feel like obstacles in your path? If any of this resonates, know that you're not alone—and there is hope. Therapy is a collaborative journey, where you are the expert on your own life. My goal is to help you gain clarity, understand yourself better, and develop practical tools to enhance your wellbeing. I believe true growth happens both in our sessions and in everyday life, as you apply what you've learned and build new skills. I wear many hats—mother, partner, friend, lifelong learner, and client—and I bring this holistic perspective to my work. I serve adolescents and adults, individually or as part of couples and families. My approach combines techniques such as CBT, DBT, Somatic, Solution-Focused, and positive psychology to support your progress across all eight dimensions of wellness. I invite you to Embrace Wellness and look forward to walking alongside you on your path to healing and self-discovery!
Our initial meeting is designed to be a comprehensive yet comfortable introduction. Here's what you can anticipate: Getting to Know You: We'll explore your background, significant life experiences, and current circumstances. This helps create a foundation for our work together. Current Concerns: We'll discuss the symptoms or issues that brought you to therapy, focusing on what matters most to you right now. Strengths and Challenges: We'll identify your personal strengths and the barriers you're facing. Recognizing both is crucial for effective therapy. Your Goals: We'll talk about what you hope to achieve through therapy. Your objectives will guide our work together. Collaborative Approach: This session is a two-way conversation. While I'll guide the discussion with relevant questions, your input and perspective are essential. You're the expert on your life, and I'm here to provide professional insight and therapeutic strategies. Diagnostic Considerations: To ensure we choose the most effective approach, I may ask detailed questions about certain experiences or symptoms. This helps us create a tailored treatment plan. The atmosphere is professional yet relaxed. There's no need to prepare – just come as you are. This session is about starting our journey together, setting the groundwork for positive change, and beginning to explore ways to help you feel better and live more fully. Remember, therapy is a collaborative process. Together, we'll work on calming your nervous system, clarifying your thoughts, and building patterns that support your well-being. I'm looking forward to partnering with you on this important journey.
As your therapist, I'm committed to creating a safe, non-judgmental space where you can freely express your most complex thoughts, feelings, and experiences. My role is to listen, understand, and provide honest, feedback alongside tools and strategies for relief and improvement—always with empathy and without judgment. Drawing from my training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), somatic therapies, and positive psychology, I offer a holistic approach tailored to your unique needs. We'll explore all dimensions of your life to: • Identify your core needs and values • Recognize areas for growth and improvement • Celebrate what's already working well in your life • Align your actions and beliefs with your personal values I'm particularly adept at challenging inner critics, helping you cultivate self-compassion and resilience. Having navigated my own mental health journey, I bring both professional expertise and personal understanding to our sessions. While we'll tackle serious issues head-on, I also believe in acknowledging life's absurdities. Together, we'll find ways to lighten the load of life's demands, balancing introspection with a touch of humor when appropriate. My goal is to help you not just cope, but flourish. We'll work on practical strategies to calm your nervous system, clarify your thoughts, and build sustainable patterns that genuinely enhance your well-being. Remember, therapy is a collaborative process. I bring the therapeutic tools and insights, but you bring the most crucial element—your unique self. Together, we'll chart a course toward the change you seek, honoring your experiences and building on your inherent strengths along the way.
Hey there, fellow white-knucklers and overwhelmed helpers! If you're reading this while juggling twelve tabs, a half-eaten lunch, and the persistent feeling that you forgot something important (and let’s be honest- you probably did), then congratulations – you're exactly where you need to be. Welcome to the club of 'Doing Our Best While Secretly Wondering If It's Enough' – we have t-shirts, but they're perpetually at the bottom of our to-do lists. If you've mastered the art of smiling through gritted teeth, have a PhD in people-pleasing, and your inner critic could win Olympic gold in mental gymnastics, pull up a chair. We need to talk. I work best with fabulous humans who are: • Ready to trade in their superhero cape for something a bit more... breathable • Willing to laugh at life's absurdities (and occasionally at themselves) • Brave enough to admit they have strengths, quirks, and real (solvable) problems • Tired of treating self-worth like it's a mythical creature (spoiler: it's not) If you're nodding along, possibly while simultaneously apologizing for the nodding, then guess what? You're my kind of people. Together, we'll work on calming that frazzled nervous system of yours (yes, it can be done without moving to a remote mountain cabin), untangle the mental noise that's keeping you up at night, and build patterns that actually support you and feel good. Imagine that – a life where you're not constantly trying to outrun your own thoughts! Let's embark on this wild journey of self-discovery together – I promise to bring snacks, terrible puns, and a toolkit for turning down the volume on life's chaos. Ready to trade in that hamster wheel for a more scenic route?
DBT focuses on helping clients learn to be present and mindful, regulate emotions, manage distress, and improve interpersonal communication skills. This approach emphasizes finding a balance between seemingly opposing ideas or perspectives, such as accepting oneself as is while also working toward change.
CBT helps individuals identify and change unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors that lead to emotional distress. This involves challenging and replacing distorted thoughts, learning coping strategies, and developing skills to aid in effective problem-solving.
Person-centered therapy is is a non-directive approach to psychotherapy where the therapist acts as a facilitator, guiding the client to discover their own solutions and achieve personal growth. It emphasizes the client's capacity for self-healing and positive change, with the therapist providing a supportive and accepting environment.
Trauma informed care is a framework that recognizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands pathways to recovery. This is a collaborative approach to therapy built on trust, transparency, and safety.
Positive psychology emphasizes strengths and well-being, rather than dysfunction. This approach focuses on positive emotions, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment, elements that promote the conditions for greater satisfaction and flourishing.