"Who has not asked himself at some time or other: am I a monster or is this what it means to be a person?"
Clarice Lispector
Therapy meets you where you are right now...
In this very moment you may find yourself needing acute and direct support with your general wellbeing, morale, motivation, sense of security, and sense of self. Your hope for the future wanes more than its waxes. Overwhelmed by the reactions of your defenses, daily life has lost its joy and meaning.
Or, you may feel strongly rooted in your sense of self and instead seek to embolden your life; to uncover what lies beneath so that a more vibrant and connected you may emerge. Perhaps what you hope for from therapy now is to expand your philosophy, get playful in your shadow, or radically live out the values you've grown clear are yours and not simply inherited.
Whatever season you find yourself, I do my part to meet you there and hold a container that is unique to your needs, strengths, and interests. Therapy comes to you.
...and then invites you on an adventure
The process is full of spontaneous moments of expression and wonder as much as it's guided by your therapist's training and instincts.
Therapy may not always feel blissful. Like many of life's riches, confrontation with discomfort ought to be expected. As Joseph Campbell said:
"It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure."
The caring and confidential therapeutic relationship — therapist-to-client, human-to-human — is meant to contain, reflect, challenge, champion, and offer unconditional compassion throughout this journey into the abyss.
Changing undesired thought patterns and behaviors is a noble step toward self-improvement, but just mowing the weeds of outdated reactions doesn't stop them from growing back.
Instead, we look to self-discovery; a beautiful and unpredictable process that invites your whole self to come into focus. Calling in and healing the unconscious material behind your struggle — tending to the root of the weeds — can lead to long-lasting change.
I can partner you in that process.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THERAPY
Life, by definition, is about continual change; no state remains forever, for better or worse.
Therapy is not a process of eradicating life's ups-and-downs or obtaining a static state of perfection; we're not seeking to amputate the undesired parts of you but rather integrate them through a new way of relating to yourself.
"The psychological rule says that when an inner situation is not made conscious, it happens outside, as fate."
-C.G. Jung
Therapy can help you arrive to those ups and downs with:
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Curiosity and openness to deeper meaning
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An interest in getting to know yourself more intimately
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An understanding of your needs and how they demand to met
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Remembering play, connectivity, and community
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Actively imagining as a tool for exploring fears and desires
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New ways of navigating closeness and conflict in relationships
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Passion, purpose, and the feeling of being rooted for
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A sense of humor about life's absurdity
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Strategies that fit your life and help you cope or restore homeostasis
Self-inquiry, non-judgment, and meaning-making lend themselves to this process. I work well with those who are curious, thoughtful and who find value in their internal lives or emotional selves.