Dr. Lori Sanderson, LCSW - Therapist at Grow Therapy

Dr. Lori Sanderson

Dr. Lori Sanderson

(she/her)

LCSW
21 years of experience
Virtual

Hello! My name is Dr. Lori Sanderson, I am a licensed clinical therapist with a master's degree in clinical social work and a doctoral degree in health education and promotion. I enjoy looking at your thoughts and assumptions and how they contribute to uncomfortable emotions or feelings. How you think contributes to how you feel and how you behave. How you behave also contributes to how you feel. I will meet you where you are, but I will also help you develop a stronger and healthier version of you. We will do this together by helping you to explore the potential roots of your struggles and by giving you the tools to manage your emotional responses to life stressors, including tragedies, medical conditions, losses, criticism, etc. You deserve somewhere that you can share what is on your mind, be emotionally supported and validated, without fear of being judged. You deserve someone who can support you in becoming the best and most fulfilled version of you.

Get to know me

In our first session together, here's what you can expect

In the first session, or initial assessment, I will ask you a variety of questions to get to know you better. This will help me to better understand your overall health needs, ideal focus on treatment, ideal treatment goals for our time together, and potential resources that you could benefit from if you desire. I utilize a biopsychosocial approach, which helps me to identify any possible factors that may contribute to your current needs (for example, medical conditions, medications, family dynamics, current stressors, and so on). My goals for you In the initial assessment, we will explore what you would like most out of our therapy sessions together, or what changes you would like to make in your life that will help you to manage stress, improve your overall mood, or increase your emotion regulation skills. Upon identifying your treatment goal(s), we will discuss some possible objectives or strategies that can support you in achieving your treatment goal(s). Your treatment goal(s) could include improving your overall mood, increasing your self-compassion, decreasing maladaptive behaviors that aim to decrease stress or numb your uncomfortable feelings (for example numbing with food). We will modify these goals as needed or as desired.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

I believe in empowering you with a safe space to express yourself. You are valuable and have strengths within you that can help you to manage even the most difficult struggles within your journey. I will encourage you to express yourself and review any recent struggles, symptoms, triggering situations, concerns, and progress with your treatment goals. When you describe triggering situations, I will guide you in identifying any potential connections between your thoughts, assumptions, behavioral responses, physical body responses, emotional responses, and past traumatic experiences. Let's embark on this transformative journey together. I do my best to go above and beyond which includes providing you with resources to help you in this process, and to provide you with a safe and nonjudgmental place to obtain emotional support.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

I am open to all clients. I have several specialty areas, including experience working with those who have struggled with eating disorders, poor body image, chronic pain, mood disorders, interpersonal conflicts, parenting struggles, and various forms of loss (Such as grief, divorce, job loss, infertility, and chronic illness. I have more than 17 years of experience working with adults, children, and adolescents and their families who have been previously diagnosed with a variety of medical conditions, including but not limited to chronic pain, type and type II diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and failure, cerebral palsy, and Crohn's disease. The struggles that individuals face when diagnosed with a medical condition are unique, and I am here to help you navigate through them. I would love the opportunity to guide you to a stronger and healthier you by providing you with tools that aim to increase your sense of capability, hopefulness, and overall resilience. 1). I currently have two openings for new clients. I have a 10AM every Tuesday. I also have a Wednesday mid afternoon opening as well. I am flexible or the exact time on Wednesday. I could schedule you anytime between 1:30 to 3PM weekly.

About Dr. Lori Sanderson

Appointments

Virtual

My treatment methods

Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)

Some of my tools that I frequently turn to include creative journaling or doing what they call a brain dump, letter writing, meditation practice, workbooks, challenging your thoughts by looking at various distorted thoughts, exploring how your thoughts could be related to past traumatic experiences, exploring various strategies to help you to manage uncomfortable emotions which stem from your thoughts, and looking for ways to reframe your thoughts in a way to help you to find more joy and fulfillment in life.

Christian Counseling

As a Christian, I believe that it is easy to put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be a certain way or to be perfect like Jesus Christ was. This is especially the case in many organized religions. If my client is a practicing Christian and finds it as a support, then I try to help the client to use this and other spiritual strengths to aid them to have more self-compassion. If my clients do not practice Christian beliefs, I do not use this as a support but take more of a psychological perspective.

Mind-body approach

In a very shame-based society, compassion is very important in motivating ourselves to be the best version of ourselves. I work with my clients to help them to apply this within their given experiences. I also use a mind-body approach that is referred to as pain reprocessing therapy, this is a type of therapy that looks at the mind body connection and uses tools to help the client to manage not only physical pain but to also manage anxiety and depression or other forms of mood disorders. I use this type of therapy with clients who have chronic pain, in addition with clients who struggle with ongoing anxiety and depression. Another mind-body theory that I use is what is referred to as Polyvagal Theory. I use techniques within this therapy to help you to connect how you are feeling physically to how you are feeling emotionally.

Daialectical Behavior (DBT)

I have used some of the dialectical behavior therapy tools such as emotion regulation skills, distress tolerance etc, of which I usually assist the client to apply it to their specific thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that they are experiencing. I have been trained in this type of therapy and am currently in the process of obtaining a certification as well.

Polyvagal Therapy

I typically will help my clients to understand their body's fight/flight/freeze response so that they can better recognize when a situation leads them to feel distressed or uncomfortable. The Polyvagal approach specifically has individuals check in with their bodies' response to various situations, in order to help them to gain insight into their behaviors, feelings, and overall thoughts. I have some clients that are unaware of their body's response to their emotions, so this type of therapy helps them to have a better connection between their mind and body. Then I can add strategies to help them to manage their physical symptoms as well as their emotional symptoms.