What is therapy?

Let’s start with what therapy is not.

Therapy is not a place where you will be told what to do. I won’t tell you outright if you should leave your relationship, quit your job, or make a major life decision. We also won’t spend our precious 50 minutes bad-mouthing your friends or your spouse. Therapy is not a place where we place all the blame for the current state of your life on your parents. You won’t be told what is “right” or “wrong.”

Therapy is not linear. Progress is more like a spiral. You might feel worse before you feel better. Sometimes healing means circling back to process pain you weren’t ready to face before.

Therapy is not always comfortable. The things we resist looking at are often the things that need our attention the most. Any change—even positive change—comes with some version of loss and grief.

Therapy is not magic or a cure-all. The real work happens when you take what you learn in session and begin applying it to your life outside of therapy.

So, what is it then?

Therapy is a safe place to process difficult thoughts and emotions, learn new skills, and reconnect with your true self.

Therapy is a place where you will be compassionately challenged, so that over time you can discover what is truly best for you.

Therapy is for you.

The you who has been trapped by worry lately. The you who feels consumed by worthlessness or self-doubt. The you who keeps reliving painful memories or punishing yourself for mistakes you have made. The you who has lost the love of your life, a friendship, or a sense of who you are.

Maybe that feeling of doom just won’t let up. Maybe unwanted thoughts lead to unwanted behaviors that only provide temporary relief. Maybe you want to learn how to set boundaries, say “no,” or send your food back when your order is wrong. Maybe you want to rediscover your purpose and feel more connected to yourself again.

I want help you maximize your potential to have a meaningful life, while effectively handling the inevitable pain that comes with it.

If you have been to therapy before but have not seen the changes or relief you expected, I suggest trying out EMDR with me. EMDR is an evidenced based treatment for those facing trauma, anxiety, and depression. This type of treatment encourages our mind’s and body’s natural tendency to heal and resolve disturbing or stressful memories, events, symptoms with long-lasting and genuine results. It bridges the skills you have learned in therapy or life with what you feel internally.