LP, 17 years of experience
New to Grow
I’m Crissy Miyake, a licensed clinical psychologist who understands the benefit of therapy and the difficulty asking for help. Specializing in anxiety, depression, stress, and trauma recovery, my initial priority is always to create an interaction that feels authentic, safe, and welcoming. Former clients have described me as “down to earth,” warm, and direct. Sessions together will be an active collaboration and our conversations will be a mixture of guided topic discussion, structured discovery, and fluid exploration. I also naturally incorporate humor and often recommend resources (readings, worksheets, podcasts, etc.) to reinforce the work in sessions.
We will spend most of the first session building a connection and settling into a comfortable exchange. Expect to answer questions about your background, family of origin, and why you are coming into therapy. Treatment expectations will be reviewed and you will have the opportunity to ask questions.
My experience as a generalist working with individuals across the lifespan on issues ranging from low self-esteem, social difficulties, and relationship issues to anxiety, depression, and trauma means I can quickly identify methods that will be most effective when working together. After we get to know each other a bit, I can then tailor my approach as needed and present information and engage in ways that are suitable for the situation/person and I can be flexible and responsive to your needs in the moment. While a generalist, throughout my career, I have been passionate about supporting diverse, indigenous, and marginalized populations. I am a strong ally of the LGBTQ+ community, honor the importance of intersectionality in identity and experience, and have a personal understanding of the unique life challenges for active duty military members, their families, and veterans. I also have extensive experience treating trauma across the lifespan, enjoy supporting the complexities of intersectionality, women's issues, and intergenerational issues.
Most of my clients complete therapy in 8-12 sessions having met their initial goals. We do this together by first identifying why you are entering therapy now and understanding what you want to achieve from this process. Once we come up with a plan, we will continually monitor progress to evaluate any need for modification or adjustments based on response/outcomes. This method ensures that we are both responsible to make the most of the time we have together and know when you have met your goals.
For many who experience anxiety or depression, CBT is often a good fit. First, we work to understand the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and then we will identify the types of thoughts that are causing you distress or are somehow negatively impacting you. We then work on dismantling these erroneous or unhelpful thoughts by learning how to channel them, challenge them, or reframe them into healthier and more helpful ways of thinking. We will likely engage in in vivo exercises in session, and I will encourage ongoing practice outside of session to support sustainable change.
For those who have struggled with life transitions or situations that are outside of their control I have found ACT works well. ACT focuses on the identification of thoughts and feelings but with a specific emphasis on one's beliefs and values. By understanding how distress can manifest from a lack of alignment between one's values and their view of life, ACT exercises support a return to coherence by learning ways to commit to increasing awareness of each decision and action that will move closer or further away from alignment. Specific exercises such as distress tolerance will help reduce distress by learning how to accept and manage negative or unhelpful thoughts and feelings without necessarily trying to eliminate them.
I have found that individuals who are seeking treatment to address unresolved trauma respond positively to CPT. In session, this begins with first providing psychoeducation to help better understand trauma, how trauma is processed and stored, and specifically the importance of the mind/body connection in trauma work. Through guided discussions, writing assignments, or the use of narratives, we uncover specific "stuck points" or places where it has been difficult to find alternative beliefs or a way to reframe the events. We then work together to challenge and revise these through a range of exercises and guided processing.