About Therapy
benefits of therapy
As social beings, we are in relationship with one another. Relationships (of all kinds) allow us to learn about ourselves and others in an intimate, meaningful way. Relationships can be where some of the most formative healing happens. This is where therapy can be especially useful. In fact, research has shown that the quality of the therapy relationship is consistently the most significant factor in clients’ healing. This is attributed to therapist’s authentic empathy, as well as the fit between therapist and client.
Therapy can be an opportunity to share what we hold inside, and be held with compassion. Part of what prolongs our pain is feeling like we can’t openly talk about it with others. Maybe we have tried before and it didn’t go well, leaving us feeling even more vulnerable and defeated. Maybe we judge ourselves so much that we can’t possibly imagine someone else not doing the same if we were to share our story. Therapy can be used as a rooted place to learn how to trust others with the most intimate parts of ourselves.
Our therapy can be a place to find connection, reclaim sacred stories, release trauma, heal from shame, and explore complex feelings, all in a safe, supportive environment. I move with you toward a more empowered, honest, and compassionate sense of self. I am a witness and a guide.
People come to therapy for various reasons. Often, they recognize that they are in pain or distress. It might be the case that their usual ways of coping no longer work for them, and are now impacting their jobs, school, relationships, communities, and/or sense of self. Some people are at a loss of where to begin addressing what’s affecting them (where do I even start?). Therapy offers the opportunity for a different approach.
Several folks I work with have been in caretaking roles. They are the everyday superheroes, caring for everyone else around them. They are the eldest sibling, the only child, the one who grew up the fastest. Some carry wounds of being let down, and are scared to open up again. Many have been taught that their needs are secondary. The idea of therapy may then feel uncomfortable because they are not used to having the focus be on them in such an intentional way. They might even feel shame for “taking up space.” Whatever it may be, folks do not necessarily need to be in crisis to seek out support. They also do not need an “official” diagnosis for the experience to be real. There are many ways to be in pain, with or without it being “formerly” documented.
If you’ve been on your own this whole time, it does not mean you have to continue going about it alone.
That being said, some of our cultures teach us that believing in or talking openly about mental health is not permitted. There might not even be a word for “mental health” in the cultural vocabulary. My experience with this taboo offers me perspective to work with folks who negotiate cultural values and their individual desire for support.
pathways to therapy
“what if I don’t know what to say, or how to say it?”
I often hear from folks, especially those who are trying therapy for the first time, that they feel pressure to have what they want to talk about “all figured out” before starting therapy, or at the beginning of each session. This is not the case! I would love to hear where you would like to start, whatever that looks like (even if it’s sitting in silence for a bit politely smiling at each other). There is something really magical in making space for what needs to be present in that current moment. So, we may not always know where to start, but we will always arrive somewhere.
It is all important, it all belongs, and I am here to listen.
I feel passionate about working with folks who had previous experiences that turned them off to therapy, whether it was because it wasn’t the right fit, it wasn’t the right time, or something else. I am so glad that you are here, thinking about trying again and taking another chance. Maybe you’ll visit this website a few more times before making a decision. That’s okay. Take your time.
Whenever you’re ready, I’m ready, too.
