Hello and welcome! I enjoy working collaboratively with my clients and approach therapy with a strong, relational focus. I would be honored to work with you. As 'The Sidecar Therapist,' my mission is to ride alongside your journey with you, and help you navigate the terrain and overcome presenting challenges as a team. Some paths may be linear, some may take a few loops, others even u-turns; all will consist of compassion, humility and amplification of joy. Whether you're looking to establish healthy boundaries, explore insecure attachment wounds affecting your relationships, discover and fall in love with your authentic self, searching for a neurodiverse perspective with a little humor to boot, or all of the above; my purpose is to create that space for you. Fun fact: when I’m not in the 'Sidecar,' I enjoy spending quality time with my family, including training my young, yellow lab named Cheese. I find peace and rejuvenation in nature; whether backpacking, on a stand up paddle board, a walk, or a bike ride. I also enjoy writing, music and quiet time to nap. Modalities used: An Integrative Therapy approach, including: -Vulnerability & Humor -Interpersonal Psychotherapy -Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) -Narrative Therapy -Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) -Somatic Therapy -Psychoeducation -Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) -Attachment Theory
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
I love working with individuals seeking to confront the issues stripping fulfillment from their lives. I have trained and worked extensively with individuals experiencing post-traumatic stress and use EMDR as appropriate to extinguish hyperarousal and emotional reactivity from triggers. I also work with individuals seeking guidance and empowerment through their separations or divorce, including learning to manage co-parenting and a single-parent household. I will work to promote self-love and trust, and teach healthy boundary setting while being sensitive to the complexity of inherited cultural, religious, or societal expectations. In our first session together, we'll start with introductions, then dive into the specifics of what has brought you to therapy. We will work as a team to create therapy goals and I will answer any questions or concerns regarding our work together.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
Through my own life experiences, various career paths, and specific training, I am able to offer my clients a shared understanding of the complexities of our human condition. I will hold space for you without judgment, gently nudge you when you're ready, and help you gain your confidence and empower your voice. I am lighthearted, compassionate, caring and real. I honor your journey and where you are at, and respect the realities of your life. I will work with you, as you are the expert in your life, to create the path you seek.
About Cris Salinas Westmoreland
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I’ve been using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in my practice for the past nine years. With CBT, we learn the connections between our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. I utilize CBT to help clients map reoccurring thoughts, learn concrete coping skills for managing overwhelming emotions, and gain healthy ways of working through the challenges in their lives. CBT also incorporates the use of homework between therapy sessions to maximize reflection, growth, and change in unwanted behavior. Together, we can decide on the appropriate use of homework assignments for your individual needs to achieve the best outcomes.
Attachment-based
The integration of attachment theory in therapy explores how our formative relationships (or attachments) with primary caregivers has played a central role in the way we develop patterns of behavior in relationships with others. These attachment relationships have both physical and emotional qualities and are based on our individual experience of our caregivers as sources of support. When we experience secure attachment with our caregivers, we are often able to explore new environments, take risks, and develop a stable sense of self and the other. When we do not experience safe or secure attachment, different types of insecure attachments may form. These insecure attachments often inhibit the development of healthy interpersonal skills and can contribute to the development of mental health difficulties (e.g., depression, anxiety). To explore these concepts we discuss how emotional regulation was learned from caregivers, and examine the level of responsiveness received in those early relationships.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress resulting from a disturbing life experience (trauma). The goal of EMDR therapy is to heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma. For example, when you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound. If a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain. Once the block is removed, the healing process can resume. EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes. If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause intense suffering. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. After successful treatment with EMDR therapy, distress is relieved, negative beliefs are reformulated, and physiological arousal is reduced. Over the last 7 years, using detailed protocols and procedures learned from EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) approved training, I’ve helped clients activate their natural healing processes. As with other psychotherapies, one size does not fit all. There may be situations in one’s life that inhibit the ability to effectively navigate certain processes needed to safely move through the 8 phases of EMDR treatment. Together, we can determine if EMDR treatment would be appropriate.