LPC, 25 years of experience
New to Grow
Hello! My name is Donna Contreraz. I believe my role as a therapist, along with the client, is to work together to form a partnership, and together decide how to proceed. I believe an essential concept in therapy is to feel safe and at ease; to feel safe enough to begin the process of self exploration and comfortable enough to be vulnerable. Each of us is the architect of our own future, and together we can construct meaningful change.
The first session is a more about getting to know each other and laying the ground work for therapy. Briefly talking about what brought the person to therapy and what are their goals. The first session is about laying the foundation for trust and creating an open and honest environment.
I believe that my own personal challenges and my own struggles have made me the person I am today. All of my life experiences have taught me how to be present and listen, without judgement. And although those are common strengths for many people I know that when I sit in front of someone I am ready to listen and to be present. I want to help a client get the results they are looking for.
I believe that the therapeutic process is about exploring, examining and being curious about your life. I want to work with those who are willing to enter into this journey of self exploration. Someone who is ready to delve into exploring, someone ready to examine, someone willing and ready to create a fulfilling life; a life full of meaning and purpose. I want to work with someone who is curious and ready to work towards creating their authentic self.
In a polyvagal informed therapy session the emphasizes is in the role of the autonomic nervous system; especially the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is a major component in the physiological /psychological states which underlies our daily behavior as well as our general wellbeing and our mental health.
I believe that we all have the capacity to make good choices in our lives, and to create a life that fits, and can accommodate a life style of our choosing. I believe that there are times that can disrupt our lives and we may need to have a mental health therapist listen and provide information to help us get back on track. A humanistic approach values the whole individual who is capable of becoming self-actualized.