Life is hard. Full stop. Sometimes we need help - an extended ear or friendly face to continue to deal with our daily stressors or big life changes. Taking the first step to seeking help takes courage. Let’s take a moment to celebrate this first achievement toward a happier, healthier you! We are often hardest on ourselves, and I believe that focusing inward and allowing ourselves grace and kindness can go a long way. I also believe we all need space to process what we are thinking and feeling, though we often find reasons to neglect this need. We are too busy, other things become a priority, or perhaps we believe we don’t deserve the time and energy for ourselves. That's where I come in. I will work with you to meet your needs and help you reach your goals while cheering you on and gently holding you accountable. I'm very flexible, so if you need more support, more rigid accountability, or creative out-of-the-box problem-solving, I've got you covered.

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

In our first session, you can expect that we will review your reasons for seeking therapy, discuss some of your history, and set some goals to ensure we are moving in a direction that feels right to you. It's almost certain that you will have some homework (self-assigned usually) focusing on self-care, moving toward your goals, and/or challenging yourself to try something new. In following sessions, we will check in on homework, review anything that's happened since our last session, and move forward to discussing topics relevant to the goals you have set. Everybody has different goals and different needs, so this may vary. Some people love to attend sessions with a list of topics to discuss and process. I'd like to hear what feels right to you so we can use this time constructively.

What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?

My toolbox is equipped with a range of therapeutic approaches, depending on each person’s needs and interests. I specialize in expressive arts therapy (visual art, music, drama, movement, writing/bibliotherapy), though participating in expressive arts is not required and will not be pushed. Some additional approaches that I frequently utilize include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Existential Therapy, Family Systems Therapy, Feminist Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy. In practice, this becomes a mosaic of approaches, depending on what seems helpful at that moment. Overall I would consider myself a person-centered, trauma-informed therapist.

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

As an empath, this is both a strength and a challenge, but it helps me to connect and understand my clients. I'm curious and am genuinely interested in finding solutions to the problems you bring, helping you see and recognize your strengths, and helping to identify and challenge self-limiting beliefs that sometimes can hold us back. Your feelings are valid, your experiences matter, and it means the world to me to have the privilege of holding space for you throughout this process.

About Joie de Bostock, LPCC-S, LICDC, ATR-BC, REAT