(she/her)
New to Grow
Are you trying to figure out how to function in a world that feels like it’s on fire? Spending your evenings zoning out on the couch after a long day of pretending everything’s fine? Feel like you’re one minor inconvenience away from a total meltdown? You’re not alone! Don’t wait until you’re past your breaking point to get help. I’m Colleen Keyser, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker passionate about helping clients navigate hard times and bloom into their most authentic selves. My therapeutic style combines aspects of self-compassion exercises, DBT skills, relational and interpersonal therapy, and is always strengths-based. My work is frequently (but not always) short-term and solution-focused, and treats you as the expert on your own life and needs. More than any particular therapeutic lens or specific technique, my focus is on building a safe and trusting relationship with my clients so they’re able to express themselves fully.
Therapy should be something you look forward to each week as a part of your self-care. My goal is for you to leave feeling lighter, more confident in your ability to make choices that align with your values, and help you build a fuller, healthier, happier life. Our sessions will be a non-judgemental space where you can process anything holding you back or weighing you down. It should also be a space where you feel safe enough to have the unhelpful thoughts and patterns that keeping you stuck challenged - and to collaborate on a strategy to change them. Our first session will be focused on getting to know you, your background, your goals, and starting to build a collaborative therapeutic alliance.
I think my biggest strength as a therapist is that I’m genuinely curious about why people are the way they are, and that I believe there’s no topic too taboo or uncomfortable to talk through in therapy - it’s all fair game here. I also believe that I believe humor has it’s place in session as much as any other human experience - a good cry and a good laugh are both healing. We can take the work seriously without taking ourselves too seriously.
I have experience with clients with a wide variety of issues and backgrounds, and I’m open to taking on anyone ready to do the work of therapy - and it is WORK! That being said, the clients I’ve tended to click best with have been: LGBTQ folks, young people trying to navigate the transition to independent adult life, creative types, neurodivergent individuals, and anyone who wants to work on being kinder to themselves. I also have significant experience working with clients with a history of suicidal ideation and self-harm.
Compassion Focused
I use compassion-focused treatment to help clients learn how to be kinder to themselves in hard times.