Hi there, I'm Dr. Hickman. Do you have goals and dreams that you keep failing to reach despite being highly motivated? Do you feel like something keeps standing in your way and you can't figure out your next steps whether for projects at work, home, school, your creative aspirations or finally launching that business? Then you've landed on the right page. I work with highly motivated men and women who are tired of their excuses and ready to do whatever it takes to learn the skills they need for massive success across all areas of their lives. As you learn invaluable mental fitness skills, you'll uncover your best self, discover how to recruit your emotions as powerful allies, shift perspectives to open doors you previously thought impossible, and finally build the life you've longed for. I believe you can do it and I'm here to help. It doesn't matter what negative emotions you're having (e.g., anxiety, fear, anger, sadness), what negative habits you're enacting (e.g., avoidance, drowning emotions with food or substances, lashing out in anger, overworking), or what has happened in your past. We can use it all as clues to underlying needs that are driving those emotions and habits. Once discovered, I'll help you make the shift to answering these needs in healthy, productive ways for powerful results. Then, we'll collaborate on setting goals and working toward them for your amazing future. You've got this. Better yet, we've got this together!
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
We’ll establish 3-5 specific goals you want to achieve. We'll assess what strengths you bring to the table for reaching your goals as well as what hinders you. It will be important to uncover the beliefs you have about yourself related to your goals, where these beliefs originated, and the dominant emotions associated with them. Understanding the origin of “misperceptions” you hold about yourself empowers you to shift toward perceptions more aligned with truth that is supportive rather than destructive. Fortunately, this shift also makes bleeding off negative emotions far easier. We’ll then decide what skills you're lacking and design appropriate homework exercises. Of course, our sessions will problem-solve roadblocks along the way and you'll have tons of support and compassion to boot!
What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?
In terms of treatment methods, I would say that I am heavy on Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) simply because it is such a well-researched and proven effective form of therapy. I also utilize DBT skills for managing emotions. In my person-to-person interactions, I utilize a client-centered approach in that any "agenda" I might have (even when positive) is secondary to clients' goals in that I believe clients are intuitive and know what they need, albeit at a subconscious level sometimes. I have the deepest regard for clients' ability to identify their own sacred journey as I come alongside as a helper and guide. Nonetheless, any therapeutic goal worth pursuing originates from within the client, not the therapist.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
While I have a great deal of experience in working with clients with a wide range of issues, I have specialized in helping clients recover from trauma. One of my "superpowers" is to help people NORMALIZE what they are thinking, feeling, and doing. So much turmoil, anguish, and feelings of self-hatred are created because people have been publicly shamed by others (e.g., parents, teachers, friends, bosses, romantic partners, etc.) for being different or for what is perceived as bad behavior (and some behaviors are indeed negative). In reality, we are all trying to meet legitimate needs, just not always in skillful or healthy ways. Once we legitimize our needs and recognize them as valid, we can shift to meeting these needs in positive ways (i.e., we don't get to harm others) and do away with the agony once and for all. This is huge. Just imagine, what if you could stop feeling ashamed and guilty for meeting personal goals, dreams, and basic needs?