Individual Therapy (Adults)

There are a lot of reasons to take advantage of the opportunity to work with a licensed counselor; therapy isn't just for those who are struggling with mental illness. Many healthy, well functioning people reach out to a licensed counselor for extra support and guidance as they pursue goals and personal growth.  Therapy can be beneficial for anyone struggling with stress, experiencing uncomfortable emotions such as anxiety or depression, feeling disconnected from loved ones, finding it difficult to adjust to life transitions, or grieving a loss. Others would like to improve their relationships or communication with family, partners or coworkers. Approximately 1 in 5 adult Americans struggle with a mental health concern, with anxiety and depression most prevalent.

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The American Psychological Association recommends you consider seeing a therapist when something causes distress and negatively impacts some part of your life, interfering or preventing you from doing what you want or need to do.

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“Talk therapy” or counseling provides a safe, non-judgmental place to talk about your relationships and experiences, explore and expand your options, and develop better skills to manage various life challenges. The first session, called an Intake Session, is different than a typical counseling session. The Intake session involves a lot of information sharing. I will explain what you can expect from me during therapy, and I will ask you a lot of questions. This assessment will help me gain a better understanding of your strengths, needs, relationships, life history, and goals for therapy. 

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Some of the issues that commonly present during individual therapy include:

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• Anxiety

• Depression

• Relationships

• Family Issues

• Stress Management

• Self-care

• Grief and Loss

• Adjusting to Life Transitions

• Self-Esteem and Self-Image

• Lack of Motivation

• Lack of Purpose or Direction

• Uncertainty

• Job or School Challenges

• Learning Disorders

• Performance Anxiety

• Trauma (mild to moderate) 

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Every interaction begins with meeting clients where they are in life so that I can individualize how we work together to best meet your needs. I am trained in multiple theoretical modalities, giving me a good "tool box" to use with clients. This is a collaborative effort between the client and therapist, and your engagement, effort, and motivation to change is essential to the process. 

 

Some of the therapy approaches we may use:

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ACCELERATED RESOLUTION THERAPY / TRAUMA-INFORMED 

When we experience very stressful, painful or frightening events or situations that are difficult to cope with or out of our control, it can trigger a trauma-response. That's when our brains encode the event as danger, and we continue to have a "fight or flight" physiological or emotional response even after the distressing situation is over. Trauma can be triggered by one specific incident, multiple events or an ongoing situation that happens over a long period of time. Most of us will experience an event in our lives that could be considered traumatic.

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COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY

We will work to pinpoint habits, beliefs, thoughts and behaviors that are no longer serving you and replace them with helpful thoughts and behaviors.  During counseling, coping skills, communication skills and new ways of thinking are developed to overcome the problems that cause distress and interference in your life. 

 

FAMILY SYSTEMS

You have probably heard the old saying, "You can't change other people. You can only change yourself." That may be true, but.... My work with clients uses the lens of Family Systems Theory, emphasizing that we are all interconnected and changes in one individual can lead to changes in the group/family as a whole.  Changing your words, actions and reactions can create change in how others respond to you.

 

PSYCHOEDUCATION

Psychoeducation, teaching clients about mental health and self-care, is essential to my goal of equipping clients to understand how to best help themselves. Developing healthy self-care habits is emphasized.

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