Hello, I appreciate your courage in reaching out. I'm a native Californian, and I have a master's degree in marriage and family therapy from Stetson University in Deland, FL (summa cum laude 2009), and a doctorate in applied clinical psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles campus (summa cum laude 2015). I'm certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which has over 37 years of scientific research proving its effectiveness and efficiency in healing trauma. I'm also a MAPs/Fluence-trained psychedelic integration therapist. I've been working with clients since 2008 on various issues that have their foundation in trauma, such as depression, anxiety, recurring relationship conflicts, complicated grief, general malaise, life dissatisfaction, and more. We find that once the underlying trauma is addressed the resulting issues tend to resolve as well and then clients can live happier and more productive, relaxed lives.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session together, I'll ask you questions about what you're looking for in therapy, and the challenges you're currently facing, and I'll also take some history about your life and current circumstances. You can ask me questions anytime. I'm very client-oriented and want to learn as much as you're willing to share about yourself. I have a lot of tools in my toolbox and together we will come up with goals you want to accomplish in therapy, which can be modified anytime depending on your needs.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I've lived a lot of life and I'm still doing my own personal work in therapy. I've learned to listen well and hear what clients deeply want. I've learned the hard way what happens when we lose hope and purpose, which are vital to happiness. I'm good at getting in the trenches with clients so they don't feel alone. I know what it's like to feel despair and to come through it, growing into more self-compassion, appreciation, and acceptance. I'm good at helping clients find and heal from trauma and discover their resilience and strengths.
About Dr. Cynthia Grow
Dr. Cynthia Grow offers therapy covered by Health Plan of San Joaquin - Medi-Cal in California.
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Trauma Informed Care
Hello, thank you for reaching out! ATTENTION NEW CLIENTS…though you may see available appointments on my calendar, due to factors beyond my control please do not schedule an appointment on my calendar unless you are a FIRST RESPONDER who has SPOKEN DIRECTLY WITH ME FIRST. If you are not a first responder and schedule without us talking first it will cause me to cancel your appt and refer you back to Grow Therapy. This is because I'm slowly transitioning my current clients to Grow Therapy. If you're reading this message, these requirements are still in place. Thank you so much for understanding and I wish you all the best in your search for an excellent therapist as there are many to choose from on this platform! I'm EMDR certified (read more below). I've worked with a wide range of clients and issues for over 16 years. I'm client-led and trained in trauma and attachment therapy. I'm looking forward to hearing your concerns and together with you creating a plan to help you feel happier and more hopeful about your life and future!
Compassion Focused
I believe it's important to understand your life and the challenges you've faced and are currently facing with respect, clarity, wisdom, and most importantly compassion.
EMDR
Trauma is a personal, subjective experience. Everyone recognizes "Big-T" trauma like car accidents, natural disasters, sexual assault, etc., but not everyone thinks about the "little-t" trauma experiences that may feel traumatic to one person but not another. Both are just as impactful in changing the trajectory of someone's life. I'm fully certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, which has over 30 years of research behind it. EMDR has over 37 years of scientific research behind it and is a well-proven effective and efficient way to treat trauma at its roots and create new neural pathways that lead to more flexible thoughts and beliefs, and a happier, healthier life.
Attachment-based
Many of our challenges in life come from early childhood trauma. When our primary caregivers either aren't willing or able to give us what we need early in life we tend to repeat those toxic patterns in our adult relationships to try to resolve them. Most of us are unsuccessful without some outside help. Attachment-based therapy allows us to identify and begin to heal those traumatic behavioral and emotional patterns.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
IFS is a non-pathologizing, transformative psychotherapy that conceives of every human being as a system of protective and wounded inner parts led by a core Self. We believe the mind is naturally multiple and that is a good thing. Just like members of a family, inner parts are forced by trauma from their valuable states into extreme roles within us. Self is in everyone, and it can’t be damaged. Self instinctively knows how to heal. IFS is frequently used as an evidence-based psychotherapy, helping people heal by accessing and healing their protective and wounded inner parts. IFS creates inner and outer connectedness by helping people first access their Self and, from that core, come to understand and heal their parts. But IFS is much more than a non-pathologizing evidence-based psychotherapy to be used in a clinical setting. It is also a way of understanding personal and intimate relationships and stepping into life with the 8 Cs: confidence, calm, compassion, courage, creativity, clarity, curiosity, and connectedness.