Are you looking for your life to be different somehow, but you aren't sure exactly what that would look like, or how to make it happen? I can help you identify your most pressing issues, then help you identify solutions that you believe will work and support you while you start to implement changes. I believe you are the most likely person to be able to identify your best solutions, and perhaps all you need is encouragement and acceptance to get started. I work from a background of existential theory (the idea that our human experiences are shared and we are all looking for meaning, purpose, satisfying relationships, and personal freedom), and I blend cognitive behavioral theory (CBT), motivational interviewing, radical acceptance, and humor into therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a method of learning the connections between our actions, our feelings, our thoughts, and our physical sensations. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a way to encourage positive changes without it feeling overwhelming or scary. I believe every person deserves care, concern, and a safe space to explore their feelings without judgment or fear. I aim to be easy to talk to, an excellent and attentive listener, and always supportive. I sometimes recommend helpful assignments in between therapy sessions to help you practice new skills and learn hidden truths about yourself. I help people who have been codependent on their partner to become freer to make their own decisions and to trust their partner to do the same. I can help you learn specific techniques to lessen the symptoms of your anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances.

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

First sessions are anxiety provoking - I totally get that! Your first session will look different than your future sessions. In your first session, I'll be asking a lot of basic questions. Some of those questions will be review; you will have already answered them in the intake form you will complete for Grow. I have to repeat them in order to establish identity, privacy, and safety. Other questions will be basic - I'm asking them to find out more about you in specific ways that give me a well-rounded picture of who you are as a person. It is never my intention to reopen traumatic wounds in our first session. Our first session is also a great chance for you to ask me (almost) anything - you can ask about my education, my experiences, my cats, my dogs... :) We will also talk about what you hope to accomplish in the first 4-6 sessions of therapy, and what you hope to accomplish with therapy overall. We will work as a partnership to figure out what your best outcomes look like for you!

What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a method of learning the connections between our actions, our feelings, our thoughts, and our physical sensations. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a way to encourage positive changes without it feeling overwhelming or scary. I also believe every person deserves care, concern, and a safe space to explore their feelings without judgment or fear.

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

My biggest strengths are a fierce compassion for my clients and a wacky sense of humor (both get us through painful times)! as well as the ability to work easily with people of all personalities and identities. My niches include helping people in antagonistic, high-conflict relationships find their way out with dignity, grace, and safety, and then find healing and healthy relationships afterward, as well as helping people with mood disorders find stability and coping skills to survive and thrive.

About Natalie Cohen