Erica Ivey
Erica Ivey
(she/her)
Are you struggling with anxiety, depression or a traumatic experience? Do you feel confused, misunderstood, or alone in your relationships? Do you feel like you have lost yourself? Imagine yourself living a your best life! My approach to therapy is as unique as you are. I believe that a positive therapeutic experience is vital in your healing and growing journey. I would like to help you in exploring and achieving balance and happiness by utilizing and uncovering your strengths. I provide Telehealth Services, so that you can conveniently be seen from your home for therapy appointments without the need to travel! I have 12 years of experience working in the social service field. I use a Trauma Informed Care approach and specialize in empowering individuals who have experienced trauma. I design my interventions based on the best fit for each client's individual needs, strengths, values and beliefs. I have a direct style that is nurturing and authentic. I look forward to walking beside you on your journey of mental and emotional wellness.
Get to know me
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
In our first session, I will get background information from you and discuss any challenges that you may be experiencing. This will help me in designing a personalized individual treatment plan specifically for your needs.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
My biggest strength is having the ability to genuinely and empathetically listen to your specific concerns and collaboratively develop a treatment plan that balances your mental health and relationship needs.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I am most effective in working with clients who are motivated for personal growth and are open to exploring the connection between their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships. My therapeutic style is supportive, direct, and collaborative, and I strive to create a safe, nonjudgmental space where clients feel both seen and challenged. I work best with clients who: Struggle with emotional regulation and want to develop healthier ways to manage anxiety, depression, anger, or overwhelming feelings. Are experiencing relationship challenges—including communication breakdowns, trust issues, emotional disconnection, or repetitive conflict cycles—and want to improve or heal their connections, whether individually or as a couple. Have a history of trauma, attachment wounds, or abandonment and are seeking to better understand how past experiences impact their current emotional responses and relational patterns. Are navigating life transitions such as divorce, career changes, grief and loss, or identity shifts and need guidance in adjusting and finding clarity. Feel stuck or disconnected and are seeking deeper meaning, personal insight, and tools to realign with their values and goals. Want to build practical coping strategies and emotional resilience while also doing deeper work to uncover the roots of their struggles. Populations I particularly connect with include: Adults and young adults navigating identity, relationships, or emotional challenges Couples seeking to repair or strengthen their bond Individuals with high emotional sensitivity or a tendency toward people-pleasing, self-criticism, or relational anxiety Clients open to structured, skills-based approaches like CBT, DBT, EFT, or the Gottman Method alongside deeper emotional exploration My ideal clients may not have everything figured out, but they are willing to show up, reflect, and do the work. I meet them where they are, walk beside them, and help them build the awareness and tools they need to move forward with greater confidence and connection.
About Erica Ivey
I identify as
Serves ages
Accepts
Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a structured, goal-oriented, and evidence-based approach I utilize in therapeutic treatment to help clients identify, understand, and change maladaptive patterns of thinking and behavior. The core principle of CBT is that our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are interconnected—by challenging and restructuring unhelpful thoughts, we can influence emotional well-being and behavioral outcomes. In practice, I work collaboratively with clients to: Identify Distorted Cognitions: Together, we examine automatic negative thoughts, cognitive distortions (such as catastrophizing, black-and-white thinking, or overgeneralization), and underlying beliefs that contribute to emotional distress. Challenge and Reframe Thoughts: I guide clients through techniques such as Socratic questioning and thought records to critically evaluate the evidence for and against these thoughts and to develop more balanced, realistic alternatives. Develop Behavioral Strategies: We implement behavioral interventions such as activity scheduling, behavioral experiments, and exposure tasks to break cycles of avoidance, reinforce adaptive behaviors, and build mastery and confidence. Enhance Coping Skills: I help clients build practical skills, such as relaxation training, mindfulness techniques, and problem-solving strategies, that empower them to manage stressors and regulate emotions more effectively. Track Progress and Set Goals: CBT is a structured therapy that involves setting measurable goals and monitoring progress over time. Regular feedback and homework assignments are integral to ensuring that therapeutic gains are reinforced and generalized outside of sessions. CBT is highly adaptable and can be tailored to meet the unique needs of each client, whether working with anxiety, depression, trauma, or other psychological concerns. It fosters self-awareness, promotes personal agency, and equips clients with long-term tools for resilience and emotional regulation.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a structured, evidence-based treatment approach I use to help clients develop emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, and mindfulness skills. Originally developed for individuals with borderline personality disorder and chronic emotion dysregulation, DBT has since been adapted for a wide range of clinical issues, including mood disorders, self-harm, trauma, and interpersonal difficulties. In therapeutic work, I integrate DBT principles through both individual sessions and, when appropriate, skills training, with the following core elements: Balancing Acceptance and Change: A central tenet of DBT is the dialectical process—helping clients accept themselves and their experiences while simultaneously working toward meaningful change. I support clients in validating their current emotional experiences while also challenging them to adopt more effective coping strategies. Mindfulness Practice: I teach clients to observe and describe their thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations nonjudgmentally. Mindfulness helps clients stay grounded in the present moment and builds awareness that is crucial for effective emotional and behavioral responses. Emotion Regulation Skills: Clients learn to identify and label emotions, reduce vulnerability to intense emotional states, and apply strategies to manage and change emotional responses when appropriate. This promotes greater emotional stability and resilience. Distress Tolerance Skills: I equip clients with tools to manage crises and tolerate painful emotions without resorting to impulsive or self-destructive behaviors. This includes techniques like distraction, self-soothing, and radical acceptance. Interpersonal Effectiveness: Clients are taught assertiveness skills, boundary-setting, and ways to maintain healthy relationships while preserving their self-respect. We practice these skills through role-play and real-life application. Validation and Therapeutic Alliance: A core aspect of DBT involves building a strong, validating therapeutic relationship. I provide consistent support while maintaining firm boundaries, modeling balance, and reinforcing the client’s efforts and progress. Use of Diary Cards and Homework: Clients track emotions, behaviors, and skill use through diary cards, which guide session focus and promote accountability. Homework assignments are used to reinforce skills outside of therapy. DBT is collaborative and intensive, often requiring commitment from both client and therapist. However, it is also deeply empowering—helping clients build a life worth living by developing control over emotional and behavioral patterns that once felt overwhelming.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a structured, evidence-based approach I use to help clients—particularly couples and individuals in relational distress—explore, understand, and reshape emotional responses and patterns that impact their relationships. Grounded in attachment theory, EFT focuses on strengthening emotional bonds by helping clients access and express underlying needs, fears, and longings in a safe, supportive therapeutic environment. In my therapeutic work, I use EFT to: Identify Negative Interaction Patterns: I work with clients to recognize and name the repetitive, reactive cycles that often arise in close relationships—such as withdrawal, blame, or escalation—that block emotional connection and reinforce insecurity. Access Primary Emotions: I help clients move beyond surface-level reactivity to identify core, often vulnerable emotions—like fear of abandonment, shame, or feeling unworthy—that fuel their defensive behaviors. This deep emotional access is key to creating lasting change. Restructure Emotional Responses: Once these underlying emotions are brought into awareness, I guide clients in expressing them in new, constructive ways that invite connection, empathy, and responsiveness from others. Strengthen Attachment Bonds: Through this process, clients begin to experience more secure, trusting connections. They learn to reach for others in a way that promotes closeness and responsiveness, rather than distance or conflict. Support Emotional Safety: Whether working with couples or individuals, I create a safe, nonjudgmental space where clients can be emotionally vulnerable, explore attachment needs, and practice new patterns of interaction in real time. Facilitate Corrective Emotional Experiences: Through guided emotional exploration and interaction in sessions, clients experience new ways of relating that are emotionally corrective—leading to deeper intimacy, healing from past hurts, and increased emotional security. EFT is a deeply empathetic and experiential approach that emphasizes the healing power of emotional connection. Whether working with couples, families, or individuals, EFT allows clients to transform painful relationship dynamics into sources of strength, closeness, and resilience.
Gottman method
The Gottman Method is an evidence-based approach I use in couples therapy to strengthen relationships, enhance communication, manage conflict, and build lasting emotional connection. Developed from decades of research by Drs. John and Julie Gottman, this method provides practical, structured interventions rooted in what successful couples do to maintain healthy, resilient relationships. In therapy, I apply the Gottman Method by focusing on three key areas: building friendship and intimacy, managing conflict constructively, and creating shared meaning. Core Components of My Work with the Gottman Method: Assessment and Relationship Mapping: I begin with a thorough assessment of the relationship using Gottman’s tools, including the "Sound Relationship House" model and the Gottman Relationship Checkup. This helps identify strengths, areas of concern, and specific patterns that need attention. Enhancing the Friendship System: I guide couples in deepening emotional intimacy by increasing fondness, admiration, and emotional attunement. Exercises may include "Love Maps," rituals of connection, and daily appreciation practices to help partners stay emotionally connected. Improving Communication and Conflict Management: I teach and facilitate the use of skills such as the "Soft Start-Up," "Dreams Within Conflict," and techniques for self-soothing and de-escalation. Couples learn to manage, rather than eliminate, conflict and to approach disagreements with empathy and understanding. Repairing and Rebuilding Trust: When trust has been broken, I use Gottman-based interventions to facilitate meaningful repair conversations, rebuild emotional safety, and re-establish a culture of appreciation and accountability. Creating Shared Meaning: I help couples explore values, goals, and rituals that give their relationship a deeper sense of purpose. This includes identifying shared dreams, building legacy, and strengthening their shared identity as a couple. Ongoing Skill Practice: The Gottman Method emphasizes daily application of learned skills. I provide structured homework and exercises to support practice between sessions and reinforce long-term change. This approach is collaborative, non-pathologizing, and highly practical. By focusing on what works in healthy relationships and providing tools that are easy to integrate into daily life, the Gottman Method empowers couples to build connection, manage challenges, and create a fulfilling partnership.
Eclectic
My therapeutic style is best described as eclectic—meaning I draw from multiple evidence-based approaches to tailor treatment to each client’s unique needs, goals, and personality. Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all method, I integrate various modalities and techniques to create a flexible, client-centered experience that evolves throughout the course of therapy. Key aspects of my eclectic approach include: Individualized Treatment: I view each person as a complex individual, not a diagnosis or set of symptoms. I adapt my interventions based on what works best for the client in the moment—whether that’s skill-building, emotional exploration, insight-oriented work, or behavior-focused strategies. Integrating Evidence-Based Practices: I often blend tools and concepts from: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to challenge unhelpful thought patterns and develop coping skills Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and mindfulness Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to deepen emotional awareness and improve relational patterns Gottman Method to support couples in strengthening communication and repairing trust Attachment-Based and Trauma-Informed Practices to explore early relational experiences and create safety in the present Balance of Structure and Exploration: My sessions combine practical strategies with deeper emotional work. Some clients benefit from structured homework and skills practice, while others need a space to process and reflect. I adjust the pacing and style to meet you where you are. Client Collaboration and Empowerment: I believe therapy works best as a partnership. I involve clients in setting goals, shaping the direction of our work, and deciding which tools or interventions feel most helpful. Your feedback guides our process. Focus on the Whole Person: I consider not just symptoms, but your values, identity, environment, and relationships. My goal is to support meaningful, sustainable change—not just symptom relief, but personal growth, resilience, and a deeper connection to yourself and others. An eclectic approach allows me to be creative, responsive, and adaptable, helping each client move forward in a way that honors their individuality while remaining grounded in clinical effectiveness.