Individual Therapy

I welcome you to come just exactly as you are.

Bring all your feelings, fears, doubts… even shame.

Living with these feelings is very uncomfortable, the constant worry and agitation, the second guessing everything you do and don’t do, wondering if you’re doing something wrong that life just seems not to be working out for you.

It feels like most people don’t understand. Maybe they even say, “You don’t have a reason to be upset.”

It’s okay to be overwhelmed right now. You don’t have to hold this alone.

The truth of who you are is beyond all this.

Feelings are feelings, nothing more and nothing less. They are not your identity. They are powerful experiences that need your attention, but you are not what has happened to you, what people have said about you, the thoughts in your head, or even your family.

I promise that your uniqueness is a gift to the world. You are someone who has never been before and will never be again.

I am inviting you to get to know this unique and precious being that is you. When you cultivate love and respect for yourself, it becomes much easier to face challenges and make choices that move you toward your best life. And when you forget, I will remind you of your value, worthiness, and strength.

Our relationship itself is a major player in your growth and healing.

Our connection will be a safe haven from which you can explore your feelings, look at your thoughts, and create new patterns.

Our time together will be a reprieve from the demands of your life, a protected space free from the obligation to meet others’ expectations or attend to others’ needs.

I will act as a mirror for you, so you can begin to see yourself more clearly – all the wonderful qualities your mind forgets to notice while it’s so busy pointing out your perceived shortcomings.

Maybe you didn’t grow up in an accepting environment where you felt loved for who you were. Maybe instead of encouragement you got criticism. Those messages started to feel so normal that they became the voice in your own head.

The therapeutic relationship is an opportunity to experience what it feels like to have a close relationship where you are fully accepted and supported. When this becomes familiar, you are more likely to find relationships in your life where you feel a similar connection.

This is therapy where the focus is entirely on you.

Individual therapy offers a reparative experience where you experience the attentiveness you deserved but maybe didn’t receive when you were younger – an opportunity to internalize a loving, supportive voice that gives you confidence, the ability to self-soothe, and the ability to make intentional choices to serve your highest good.

I will help you take an honest look at your experiences and choices with compassion and empathy so that you can learn and grow, rather than beat yourself up and feel guilty. I will help you become your own soft place to land.

Here’s what we’ll do on your journey…

You come in and make yourself cozy on the couch, maybe with a cup of tea. You start sharing the story that’s been weighing on your heart, and I listen deeply.

I take notice of and hold space for your experiences and your feelings. When you feel you’ve said it all, I gently ask questions to help you process the feelings that have come up.

You begin to notice that underneath those feelings are needs. They’re deep needs that you may not have allowed yourself to previously recognize. These are needs that haven’t been attended to.

Perhaps you find a need for connection, for meaning and purpose, for balance, to feel you matter and belong. Whatever your needs are, together we explore ways to begin to meet them. You realize that your needs are valid.

You experience a sense of loving kindness that comes from this recognition. You start practicing prioritizing your needs along with the rest of your life’s obligations. You might even be a little surprised to discover that, contrary to what you’d previously believed, meeting your own needs leaves you with more energy, and the rest of your to-do list actually feels more manageable.

You share about challenging situations you’re facing…

… and I ask you questions to help you consider multiple points of view. I offer you a metaphor to ponder as we figuratively walk around all sides of your story and examine the different vantage points.

As we’re doing this, I encourage you to notice those thoughts and beliefs that kick in on autopilot. I support you in questioning and challenging them. This can be really tough, and I assure you that it’s okay; it’s a matter of practice.

I offer you some tools to help you along. You start to discover that no matter what situation you find yourself in, you have power over your reaction. You start noticing how this leads to so much less suffering.

You share about stressful, overwhelming feelings.

I encourage you to explore these feelings in your body.

You start to train your mind to be present in this moment, in the experience in your body. Together, we practice techniques that help ground you here and relax the nervous system. You begin to differentiate between the experience of the feeling and the beliefs that you have associated with it.

You notice when these feelings come up in your daily life so that you are better equipped to soothe them, which makes everything begin to seem so much clearer. Feeling more capable of making good decisions and fostering healthy relationships. Feeling lighter and less consumed by feelings you keep trying and trying to escape.

Each person’s journey looks different.

And we will chart the course together.

Let’s connect and get started. Call me now for a free 15-minute consultation to see if we’re a good fit: (415) 408-6020.