(they/them)
Welcome! I'm Carter (they/them), and it's wonderful to meet you. Therapy is a huge step for some people, and I appreciate your vulnerability in looking for the provider that works best for you. The beginning can be challenging, and even a little awkward as you explore your new or growing relationship to therapy and yourself. In my practice, I prioritize connection, honesty, and mutual understanding throughout our time together. I always say that I "believe my B.S." when it comes to therapy, and the importance of knowing what I'm recommending and how uncomfortable it may be! I like to focus on your values, needs, and goals within our work, and ways to find our authentic selves and relationships as we grow. Social landscapes can be especially challenging, and as a provider, I work to find ways to facilitate open and honest dialogues between you and myself, and transferring those skills to the world outside our sessions.
Our first session is paced however you feel most comfortable. I typically like to ask about what brought us to therapy, but I am flexible to utilize creativity and playfulness in our sessions as it works for you.
I like to lean into creativity, direct communication, and even some silliness in our sessions (as feels safe for each individual). I aim to make spaces nonjudgemental, and to find the feeling behind any behavior without shame or blame.
As of now, I am working with adolescent clients in my outpatient work. The therapy we have to do is very much voluntary work, and I aim to meet clients where they're at with their relationship to the therapeutic process. I aim for our sessions to feel honest, and prefer when clients can be upfront when something we try works/doesn't work-- there is a reason there are hundreds of coping skills out there, and you have not "failed therapy" if one doesn't fit your sensory needs or brain chemistry!
Person-centered (Rogerian)
My approach is predominantly person-centered in my desire to reflect my client's needs and best understand their personal experiences and motivations to be their most authentic self.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
As a therapist, I am oriented towards my client's values, and structuring therapy around what my client values in their life. I approach all coping strategies with a nonjudgmental stance, with a desire to identify the function of the behavior, and the benefits and detriments to the strategies as we move toward our values.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
As a therapist, I like to use a DBT approach to manage what we can and cannot change. I emphasize an acceptance toward our experiences and the ways they may impact our ability to regulate ourselves, our relationships, and our current functioning. Simultaneously, I always aim to find a place of distress tolerance toward what we cannot change, and interpersonal effectiveness to communicate through our challenges.