What’s Your Story?

As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I am systemically trained. What that means is, I was trained to not just look at the clients and the problems they bring with them, the solutions they desire, and the strategies to get there, but I look at all the systems that client is engaged in and affected by– both internal and external; small and large. Each member of a system (couple, family, job, school, friendships, culture, society, etc) including between the systems themselves interact with each other and form patterns and create dynamics. Those interactions create narratives that create the story of a client’s life and the client’s perceived role in that storyline. In therapy, I am going to want to hear your story—what happened, how you got here, who is a part of your life, what you want, etc.  As you share your story, we will explore options and strategies for how you would like to see your story unfold from the first session onward. 

What to Expect in Therapy

Sessions are generally unstructured, reflective, conversational, collaborative, and experiential. From our first engagement, we are now a part of each others’ stories. Sessions are not just centered around what has been written in your story so far, (symbolically speaking of course), but how you would like to see the rest play out. We work on this collaboratively based on what you are ready to talk about and address.  We will work together capitalizing on strengths and successes to empower you to achieve your goals.

While therapy is largely unstructured, sometimes a little direction is needed to assist with getting “unstuck.” This direction may come in the form of interventions aimed at reframing and challenging thoughts, behaviors, and perspectives; assigning experiential and/or expressive “homework”; providing psychoeducation regarding the issues you are facing, recommending reading, listening, or viewing material, or exploring options of referring to supplemental services as an adjunct to your therapy.  Therapy can be an uplifting, rewarding, and empowering experience. However, it can be frustrating for thoughts, behaviors, or dynamics to be challenged. Sometimes it might seem scary to begin doing and thinking in ways that are unfamiliar and new. The process of healing can be tiring until you begin to view change as something to be embraced instead of feared. 

The Therapeutic Relationship

Healing work is hard work and requires a certain level of compassion and empathy by the therapist you choose. I consider myself to be naturally compassionate, intuitive, and empathic and incorporate such traits into the therapeutic relationship. As your therapist, I am no stranger to the cliffhangers, climaxes, villains, multi-dimensional characters, and traumatic chapters that are often a part of a riveting novel. This combination of personal as well as professional and academic experience, I believe, has enabled me to be uniquely qualified to assist you in your journey, while you retain complete authorship of your own story. I strive to create an environment of safety that is inclusive, non-judgmental, and culturally sensitive. I understand the unique privacy needs of my clients residing in small towns and keep my practice small and low-key for that purpose, a quality that is difficult to find in the hustle and bustle of a clinic or agency setting.

Please contact me with any questions you may have.