I’m CJ Backer, a licensed marriage and family therapist who walks alongside individuals, as they navigate the deeper questions of identity, purpose, and emotional well-being. My work centers on helping people untangle from the expectations, roles, and pressures that can blur our sense of self. Whether you're wrestling with anxiety, depression, trauma, or simply feeling stuck in a life that looks “fine” on the outside but feels disconnected within—I offer a space to explore, reflect, and heal. In our work together, you can expect a compassionate, non-judgmental space where you're seen and heard beyond your symptoms and roles. I draw from evidence-based practices like CBT, DBT, and motivational interviewing to support meaningful growth and lasting change. Ultimately, I help clients reconnect with who they are beneath the roles and responsibilities—so they can move forward with more clarity, groundedness, and self-trust.

What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?

From the very beginning of our work together, you can expect a space that is safe, compassionate, and free of judgment—a space where you don’t have to perform, explain, or minimize what you’re feeling. This is a space where your full humanity is welcomed. You will be seen not just for what you do or the roles you’ve taken on, but for who you are underneath it all—your hopes, your struggles, your questions, and your quiet longings. I listen with deep presence, not only to your words, but to the meaning beneath them, to the emotions that may be hard to name, and to the parts of you that may not have had the chance to speak before. This is a place where you don’t need to have it all figured out. Here, your story matters. Your pain matters. Your voice matters. You matter. Together, we’ll create a relationship built on trust and authenticity. One where you can explore without fear, express without filter, and unfold at your own pace. My commitment is to meet you with empathy, curiosity, and deep respect—so that you feel not only heard, but truly understood in a way that maybe you haven’t felt in a long time. Because healing often begins not with answers, but with being genuinely witnessed.

Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.

🌿 Deep Presence and Attunement I bring a grounded, attentive presence into each session. I don’t just hear what’s being said—I tune into what’s not being said, holding space for the emotions and truths that often live just beneath the surface. 🌿 Creating a Safe, Non-Judgmental Space Clients often tell me they feel safe to show up exactly as they are—messy, uncertain, tired, or tangled. That’s intentional. I create a space where there is no need to perform, fix, or explain away your experience. 🌿 Seeing the Whole Person, Not Just the Problem I look beyond symptoms or labels and see you as a whole, complex, and evolving person. Your pain is only one part of your story—not the definition of it. I hold space for both your struggles and your strengths. 🌿 Relational Depth and Empathy My work is deeply relational. I value authentic connection and bring warmth, empathy, and emotional depth into the therapeutic relationship. I believe healing happens in relationship, and I show up for that with heart. 🌿 Intuitive Insight and Reflective Feedback I’m able to offer insights that reflect not just what you say, but what you’re feeling or perhaps sensing, but haven’t yet named. I gently offer reflections that help you gain clarity and feel more deeply understood. 🌿 Respect for Your Pace and Process There’s no rush here. I honor your process and meet you where you are—whether you're ready to dive deep or simply need to sit with what is. Your timeline is respected. Your autonomy is valued. 🌿 Support in Reconnecting with Self I help clients untangle from external expectations and rediscover their inner voice—the self that may have been quieted, hidden, or forgotten. This isn’t about fixing you—it’s about coming home to yourself.

Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.

Those I am best positioned to serve are individuals who find themselves entangled in the tension between identity and expectation—those who are quietly wrestling with the sense that their worth is defined by what they do, not who they are. These are people whose value has become deeply intertwined with their roles: as parents, partners, professionals, leaders, caregivers, achievers. Somewhere along the way, their sense of self has been eclipsed by the titles they hold and the responsibilities they carry. They may appear to be functioning well on the outside—checking boxes, meeting deadlines, fulfilling obligations—but inside, there’s a growing restlessness, a quiet ache. The life they’ve built may look “successful” by external standards, but their internal experience tells another story. Satisfaction has become elusive, often tethered to the approval, praise, or recognition of others. Their peace and self-worth rise and fall with external feedback, leaving them in a cycle of striving, performing, and self-questioning. At the core, these individuals are longing for deeper authenticity, a sense of alignment between their inner world and outer expression. They crave permission to be more than the sum of their roles—to rediscover the truth of who they are beneath the layers of expectations, to reclaim their voice, and to live from a place of self-defined worth rather than earned validation. My role is to walk alongside them in this rediscovery. To help them gently untangle their identity from their roles, reconnect with their intrinsic value, and cultivate a sense of self that is grounded, whole, and not dependent on external approval. In doing so, they can begin to experience a deeper, more enduring form of satisfaction—one rooted not in performance, but in presence and authenticity.

About CJ Backer