Shifting  the focus from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”

There are many different reasons that people look for a therapist. Some who come to therapy aren’t aware of overt trauma in their childhood, but they have experienced trauma as an adult. Others aren’t sure what their issues are but know that something isn’t quite right.

You might benefit from therapy if you feel like you should be doing well and enjoying life, but instead you find that:

• You’re successful, but you never feel like you measure up;
• You have unexplained anxiety and/or depression;
• You realize that you don’t really like yourself;
• You have a hard time saying no and are often overextended;

Therapy is a time that’s just for you. It’s a place where you can come and be yourself, whatever that self looks like at any given time. You don’t have to hold it together or pretend to be someone or something that you’re not. The uniqueness of the therapeutic relationship provides a space for you to get perspective and feedback that you may not get anywhere else. In trauma-informed therapy, we won’t just look at the undesired behavior. We will access the underlying causes of that behavior, connecting body and mind. The recovery process only begins when we understand these causes.

Therapy is most beneficial when you are an active participant. It involves one hour sessions, usually on a weekly basis. At times, due to scheduling, some clients choose to have a two or three hour session for intensive work monthly. A good portion of the work of therapy happens outside of sessions. You need to take time to think through what comes up for you and let it land. In between sessions, I will recommend homework consisting of journaling, reading books, listening to recommended podcasts, and attending appropriate workshops or groups that help support your healing, so you can take what you learn back into your life.