Our Therapy
Individual and Family Therapy
There may be any number of reasons why someone would seek out therapy – from dealing with a current life transition to addressing distressing incidents from the past. We recognize that taking the step to reach out to a therapist takes a great deal of courage and vulnerability. We so often hear from clients the statement “I have never told anyone this before.” We have seen the benefit of having a safe space to process through life’s difficulties and how it can unlock an individual or family from patterns that were painful and often destructive.
Whether working with individuals or the family, we take a systems perspective. This means that we work to understand how an individual fits into their various systems, and how those relationships may be contributing to how they are feeling. When we work with a family, this means that no individual is blamed for the conflict. Instead, we work to better understand how the system works and find ways together to help it work more effectively.
We view our therapy time as a safe space carved out for you to work on your goals, and also a container to be able to set aside the work when needed. While much of therapeutic progress happens between sessions as clients continue to think about and practice some of what we do in session, we do not often assign specific homework as we have found that just carving out the time for therapy can be a strain on already busy schedules. We do, however, have some clients who request homework and we keep an ongoing list of resources available to supplement what we do together.
Trauma Recovery
“Traumatized people chronically feel unsafe inside their bodies: The past is alive in the form of gnawing interior discomfort. Their bodies are constantly bombarded by visceral warning signs, and, in an attempt to control these processes, they often become expert at ignoring their gut feelings and in numbing awareness of what is played out inside. They learn to hide from their selves.” ― Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
Whether someone is dealing with a single traumatic incident or years of abuse, living with unresolved trauma can be so exhausting and lonely. Trauma affects how someone sees the world, how they see themselves, and even how they feel in their bodies. Many clients who come to us express feeling badly about themselves, and also have difficulty trusting others. They often also describe a number of physical symptoms, including headaches, fatigue, and even autoimmune disorders. Trauma has been found to be a whole-body experience, and so evidence-based treatments for trauma also address the whole body. When working with children, we also work with the parents/guardians so they can better understand how trauma affects their child and how to tailor their parenting to best support their child in the process of trauma recovery.
Child Therapy
Young children may not always be able to verbalize their reactions to life events, but their behavior can show how they feel. Working closely with parents, we use play and expressive arts based techniques to assist children with processing their feelings and making sense of their world. Play is viewed as the language for children, and toys are their words. We offer a variety of play materials to allow for children to fully be able to express themselves.
Parenting Consultation
Let’s face it, parenting is not easy. Sometimes you think you’ve finally mastered it, and then your child hits a whole new and confusing milestone and you feel like you’re starting all over again. We offer parenting consultation to assist with unlocking, building, and trusting your own wisdom as parents, and to develop helpful strategies together to apply to your own situations. We enjoy working with parents at any stage of their journeys, from planning a life with children to launching children into adulthood and beyond.