From the outside, you look like you’ve got it all together ... but it feels like a totally different story on the inside. You may be fed up with constant worries and sadness, feeling overwhelmed or on edge. You might not even remember a time things didn't feel this way. But one thing is for sure: you're ready for some relief. You're ready to feel calm. You're ready to feel grounded and at peace with yourself. Most of all, you're ready to rediscover your true confident self. Let's throw political correctness out and get down to business, cut through the BS, and help you solve your problems.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our initial session, we will create a serene and judgment-free environment, providing an opportunity to get to know each other. This setting will allow you to comfortably share your thoughts, triggers, doubts, and uncertainties. We will discuss your therapy goals and briefly describe the approaches I plan to use to address your needs.
The primary purpose of the first session is to establish a trusting relationship, ensuring you feel comfortable enough to openly discuss your experiences, particularly those involving trauma, guilt, shame, grief, and more. Addressing these experiences is an essential step toward your personal growth and healing.
I never insist but always prioritize your pace and gently invite you to consider a fresh approach to your possible limiting beliefs or negative thoughts. You can expect to feel safe, heard, and supported throughout our sessions.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
Drawing from my personal journey of overcoming trauma, I have developed an intuitive ability to discern the underlying causes of your current struggles. My expertise lies in working with trauma, often a consequence of various kinds of abuse experienced by parents, partners, sometimes friends, or employers.
In our first session, I can usually pinpoint what has happened to you, understand why you feel a certain way, and outline our treatment plan. My extensive experience includes helping my clients to overcome uncertainty, sadness, worries, anxieties, and anger. I am skilled at identifying what you need for healing and can gently steer you toward inner peace and balanced relationships.
About Alexandra Vaganova
Appointments
Virtual
My treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Over the past six years, I have extensively used Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in my practice to assist clients dealing with trauma, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. My experience has reinforced my belief in the effectiveness of CBT as an evidence-based treatment that addresses the core issues underlying these mental health challenges.
In working with clients experiencing anxiety, I've applied CBT to help them understand the connection between their thoughts and anxious feelings. By identifying and challenging irrational or negative thoughts and replacing them with more realistic ones, I've seen remarkable improvements in their ability to manage anxiety. This process often involves teaching clients various coping techniques, such as mindfulness or deep breathing, which they can use to alleviate anxiety in real-time.
For those suffering from depression, my CBT approach has focused on addressing feelings of hopelessness and pervasive negative thinking. By helping clients recognize and dispute cognitive distortions, such as all-or-nothing thinking or overgeneralization, they gradually learn to view their experiences more positively. Behavioral activation, a key component of CBT for depression, has been particularly effective in my practice. Encouraging clients to engage in activities that once brought them joy has often led to a noticeable lift in mood and a reduction in depressive symptoms.
In cases of trauma, my use of CBT has included elements of exposure therapy. This involves gently guiding clients to challenge and process their traumatic memories in a safe and supported environment. The aim is to reduce the power of these memories over time. Cognitive restructuring in this context has been pivotal in helping clients reframe the trauma, reducing feelings of guilt, shame, and fear.
Throughout my practice, I have seen how CBT equips clients with practical tools and skills, enabling them to manage their symptoms more effectively and fostering long-term mental wellness. My role has been to tailor the CBT approach to each individual's needs, ensuring that the therapy remains client-centered and maximally effective.
Hypnotherapy
My extensive experience in practicing hypnotherapy and inner child work with a large number of clients has consistently demonstrated incredible improvement and healing of childhood trauma. I have witnessed cases where clients achieved complete recovery without the burden of flashbacks or unpleasant memory recalls. This remarkable outcome underscores the effectiveness of the treatment methods I employ in my practice.
Inner wounds, particularly those stemming from childhood, often surface in adulthood in various forms such as anxiety, phobias, behavioral issues, or relationship problems. These unresolved traumas subtly yet significantly influence our perceptions and reactions to current life situations. In my practice, I utilize hypnotherapy as a tool to facilitate inner child work, directly addressing the root of many present-day challenges. This approach often leads to transformative insights and profound healing.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
In my practice, I have extensively used Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) with numerous clients and consistently observed remarkable improvements in their daily routines and self-relationships, particularly in transforming their inner critic's voice into that of a supportive and kind inner coach.
My experience with SFBT has been profoundly positive. This approach aligns with my belief in focusing on solutions rather than dwelling on problems. It leverages the principles of positive psychology, guiding clients to identify and achieve their desired future outcomes. By adopting a future-oriented mindset, I encourage clients to envision their preferred reality, and then collaboratively, we explore the steps necessary to reach these goals.
One of the key aspects of SFBT in my practice has been its emphasis on building hope and eliciting positive emotions. This shift in perspective often leads to a more empowering and optimistic view of the future. I have found that by concentrating on what is working well in a client's life, we can more effectively amplify these strengths and apply them to areas of challenge.
The transformation from an internal critic to an internal coach is a significant part of this process. Through SFBT, clients learn to recognize their inner strengths and resources, which helps in silencing self-critical thoughts. They start to develop a more supportive and compassionate internal dialogue, which is critical for sustained self-improvement and well-being.
The short-term, goal-focused nature of SFBT makes it an efficient therapeutic approach. It allows clients to see quick results, motivating and empowering them to continue making positive changes in their lives. In my years of practicing SFBT, I've seen clients make substantial progress in a relatively short period, leading to lasting changes in their behavior and overall outlook on life.
