Gretchen Rusnak Miller
I believe coming to therapy is a sign of strength. It takes *guts* to reach out to a stranger in hopes they can help us improve our lives. Whether this is your first experience searching for therapy, or you’re familiar with the process and trying someone new, this can be intimidating. Knowing how hard coming to a therapist can be, I am proud to have helped hundreds of folks choose positive paths towards a more enjoyable life. I’ve been a licensed social worker for nearly two decades and am a graduate of The Ohio State University and Case Western Reserve University. I’ve practiced in a variety of settings, urban and suburban, with all ages. I am a huge proponent of finding joy, humor and peace where you can. I bring that attitude into sessions. Occasionally my cats come, too.
First session
In our first session, we'll go through some formalities about consents, confidentiality, and housekeeping about communication and scheduling. I'll likely start by asking you what is bringing you to therapy, and why this is the time you decided to get started. I'll get a high-level overview of that, and also drill down into some standard questions about some symptoms you might have or might not have. I ask them to everyone just in case they are issues at hand, because some topics are pretty hard to bring up without a prompt. We'll come to an understanding of what you want to get out of therapy. If you've had previous therapy, I'd love to know what you liked and didn't like about it. I'll talk to you further about how I see us moving forward, and I may assign you something to work on before our next session, potentially tools and resources to review or skills to practice. I'll want you to be honest with me about your capacity and let me know if an intervention or resource doesn't fit.
Strengths
When we work together, I meet you where you are. We start with your unique story. I value a non-judgmental approach, where you are the expert on your life. We get real, we dig deep and I want you to communicate in ways that are meaningful to you. This is especially true for those that identify as neurodivergent. I understand that the approach that works for others may not work for you. That means that we may deep-dive into some dark humor you shared, or a TikTok that made you feel a little called out. I’ll bring all my experience to work with you and through it find what works for you. I pull from CBT, DBT, solution-focused and motivational interviewing backgrounds. I’m a cisgender white woman, and an LGBTQIA ally with knowledge in non-traditional and polyamory relationship models. If you’re ready for a change, I’d be honored to ride shotgun on your journey.
Ideal clients
My ideal client would be someone who is figuring out life transitions. Whether that's moving from high school into adulthood and independence, entering parenthood, experiencing changes in relationships, or rediscovering who they want to be. I enjoy working with folks who may feel a bit on the outside of society, like a square peg in a round hole. Neurodiverse clients are especially welcome, whether formally diagnosed or no. I work with anxiety, burnout, the formerly "gifted kids" with imposter syndrome, and people trying to break patterns. If this sounds like you, I'd love to talk.
Treatment methods
Integrative
I pull from a variety of forms of therapy to individualize care. My most common approach involves key elements from cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and motivational interviewing. I start with where you're at, and we figure out where you want to be. You're in the driver's seat, I'm riding shotgun as navigator. As we get to know eachother, you can expect to get some gentle confrontation at times. You can also expect that I'll ask you to expand your comfort zone and try new ways to do things or new ways of thinking. The exact method we use will alter depending on the goals you have, your capacity, and your feedback.
Location
Virtual sessions