Hi, I am so glad you have decided to take a step in healing from your past. I specialize in working with people who grew up in families where there was some type of instability or turmoil. This could have been from addiction, mental health, abuse, neglect, anger, poverty, foster care placement, religious trauma or anything that caused some form of trauma. Oftentimes times those who grew up in this type of situation feel responsible for it or that somehow they should have fixed it.
Our first session is chance for you to express anything that is concerning you. It is the start of our roadmap to working together. I like to use this analogy: Therapy is like using a GPS when driving. You are in the driver's seat so to speak and I am like the GPS. I will offer suggestions on which route appears the best to get you to your destination but you are free to choose another route, make a detour, or change the final destination. I just ask that you communicate this to me so we are both working on the same plan.
I believe in the human potential to grow and change. We are amazing creatures and can overcome severe adversity. Sometimes what we need is someone to truly see us, to understand our pain and to be able to stand in it with us until we can move through it. I can stand with you and help you move through your pain. You are not too much and your emotions are not too much.
Learning to accept difficult thoughts, feelings, sensations, and internal experiences and commit to making changes is the essence of ACT. It is a shift from wishing things were different or believing they have to be different before you can commit to actions.
I am a DBT informed therapist and draw on skills from DBT for management of emotions.
We all have parts that developed during our childhood. Each part servers a purpose, however sometimes their methods/actions can seem counterproductive. Learning to accept and appreciate our parts can help us heal from past trauma.