New to Grow
Hi, I'm Anne Marie, and I am an LPC practicing in Connecticut. I am often described as an "older hippy chick," and I happily own that description. I am laid back, curious, and engaging. My style is warm and caring, blending humor with empathy and education. I don't have "all the answers" but do have experience guiding clients towards self-discovery and healing. I am open and accepting in my life and in my practice, and am a lifelong learner who actually enjoys keeping up with the current best practices and new and emerging areas of mental health treatment.
In our first session, we will focus on getting to know each other a bit. I will discuss with you what is bringing you to therapy. We will begin to explore your goals for therapy, and I will answer your questions about what working with me on those goals might look like. I work with who you are now, in this moment, but we will also spend some time talking about your journey to this point. I will briefly share an overview of the Cognitive Behavioral approach to therapy, which is the core of my therapeutic approach.
I am a trauma-informed therapist with over 30 years of experience in the mental health field. I believe my greatest strength as a therapist is my generational experience. I was born into the Gen Jones generation, I never knew a USA without Civil Rights and the Women's Rights movement. I lived through the Aids epidemic and the shift towards acceptance of a non-binary view of sexuality. As a School Psychologist in the 1980's and 90'd, the young men who shared, in tears and fear, the fact that they were gay solidified my understanding that sexual orientation was not a "lifestyle choice" but a biological reality. I also understood, as much as a middle-class white woman could, that there were different "rules" for white students and students of color. I saw decent teachers who did not think they were racist, send the young men of color to the office, or my office, for the same behaviors I observed young white men engaging in without being sent out. So, it is fair to say that I am a "woke" old liberal lady and that perspective shapes my practice.
I have experience working with cleints of all ages, with a current focus on working with adults aged 18 and up. I have been in the mental health field for over 30 years, so not only have I gotten to see a lot of really cool bands, but I also have experience working with cleints across generations, from today's Gen Alpha young adults to the Gen Jones and Baby Boomers I started out with. I work best with clients who are interested in self-exploration and willing to take responsibility for personal growth and change. I approach therapy with a strong focus on building a relationship, bringing humor and curiosity into sessions.
Other specialties
I identify as
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
In my practice with clients, we explore together how events in the world affect our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and nervous system, which together influence our behavior and the intensity of the emotions we experience. While we often cannot control the things that happen in the world, together we can learn to identify and control the way we think about what has happened, and by doing so, develop the ability to better manage our emotional reactions.
Existential
While I focus heavily on the cognitive-behavioral aspects of therapy, it is also important to acknowledge that the world is not fair. Bad things happen to good people. Pain, suffering, and injustice are inherent in human existence. We can become stuck fighting the unfairness, beating our fists against obstacles we cannot change. The Existential approach allows us to identify what we cannot control, and learn to accept the things we cannot change, and shift our energy and focus to the things in our lives that, despite the inherent injustice, allow us to find meaning and connection .
Eclectic
Within a framework of Existential and Cognitive Behavioral therapy, there are methods and exercises from other modalities such as mindfulness-based therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, somatic therapy, and narrative therapy that integrate into an eclectic whole that help clients achieve their therapeutic goals.