Erica waterford
I’m an LPC helping adults who feel stuck or unsure of what comes next. My style is warm, direct, collaborative, inclusive, and LGBTQ+ affirming. We explore anxiety, depression, and patterns, build useful skills, and help you gain insight, agency, and more control over the life you want at your pace.
First session
After your first session, you should leave with a clearer understanding of what brought you to therapy, what feels most important to address, and what you would like to begin changing. You should also have a sense of whether you feel comfortable working with me and a starting direction for our work together. Most importantly, I want you to leave feeling heard, understood, and a little clearer about what the next step might be.
Strengths
My goal is to provide a warm, collaborative, and nonjudgmental space where clients feel heard, understood, and comfortable being honest. I balance empathy with thoughtful questions and gentle challenges that help clients recognize patterns, build insight, and move toward meaningful change.
Ideal clients
A person who has reached a place in their life where they know something needs to change, even if they are not yet sure what that change should look like. They may feel overwhelmed by what they are carrying, stuck in patterns they have been unable to change, uncertain about what comes next, or like the hurdles between where they are and where they \ want to be have started to feel insurmountable. You may already know exactly what Point B looks like, or you may simply know that you do not want to remain at Point A. What matters most is that some part of you is interested in moving forward, understanding what has been keeping you stuck, and beginning to create a life that feels more manageable, intentional, and more like your own.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
With CBT we can start by looking at how your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors connect, particularly in situations where you feel stuck or find yourself repeating familiar patterns. As we identify the beliefs and interpretations influencing those reactions, we will work on questioning what may no longer be helpful, developing more balanced ways of thinking, and practicing different responses so you can approach situations with greater awareness, flexibility, and choice.
Motivational Interviewing
With Motivational Interviewing , we will start by identify the situations, emotions, and patterns that tend to overwhelm you or lead to reactions you later wish had gone differently\. From there, we will build practical skills for regulating emotions, tolerating discomfort, and communicating more effectively so you can respond with greater intention and control.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I often use DBT skills if you understand what is happening but still struggle with what to do in the moment. With this modality we can help you to recognize when emotions are taking over, create some space between feeling and reacting, and develop more effective ways to tolerate discomfort, communicate, and respond rather than react
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
With this approach, we will look at what matters to you and notice when difficult thoughts or feelings start pulling you away from it\. We will practice making room for those experiences without needing to get rid of them first, so you can choose what to do next and keep taking small steps toward the life you want.
Gender-affirming therapy
Id like to help you to explore a more authentic gender identity, your experience , and what living more authentically means to you. Symptoms of uncertainty, dysphoria, relationships, and the impact of family, society and media/ political intolerance while also recognizing and establishing your strengths and sources of affirmation. Together, we will work toward greater self-understanding and choices that help you feel more comfortable, confident, and connected to the life you want to live.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Top specialties
Other specialties
Licensed in
- PennsylvaniaLicense PC020416