IN-PERSON & ONLINE THERAPY IN MAINE. online therapy in CALIFORNIA.
Individual therapy for women navigating major life changes
You have been holding it together for everyone around you for so long that you can’t remember what you need. And now you’ve just gone through something big.
You’re feeling stressed, hopeless, anxious, depressed and alone. You feel that you’ve lost your sense of “who I am.” You’re feeling like you are not doing as well as everyone else, and you’re plagued by painful memories.
Feeling lost and asking for help are your first steps toward finding what comes next. You aren’t lost or broken. You are in the middle. No one likes the middle–its shitty and it sucks. I specialize in meeting people in “the middle” and know how to help you get to know yourself again, how to create a life with balance, and how to help you get some sleep. I collaborate with you on finding what you need.
I will get to know you and discover what works best for you as we sort through the messy middle.
Some women feel significantly better when they can be heard in a meaningful and compassionate way. Knowing you can tell your story to a person whose only job is to be present for you is good medicine. Other women find great peace when a therapist can listen and reflect back to them about their thoughts on the basis of a particular belief or feeling. Still others need space between them and a trauma, and will welcome the use of expressive arts therapy.
I may give you homework, like taking photos of things that bring you a moment of joy. I may simply ask you the miracle question: if suddenly you felt better in the morning, how would you know, what would be different? I may invite you to try a grounding exercise. I may invite you to walk outside and talk. And, we always will do research and keep notes on what fills you up, what makes you feel better, what is it that you need. This piece will involve trying new or different things on a regular basis.
I offer in-person and online therapy using traditional talk therapy, expressive arts therapy, grounding practices, and other whole-person approaches.
Expressive Arts Therapy
Expressive Arts Therapy is a toolbox using paint, glue, paper, and chalk to invite playfulness into the therapy room. This playfulness invites trust in yourself, and in the world, back into your life. Also moving the paintbrush, the piece of chalk, or cutting paper are all ways to invite your body to move in a safe way. This often makes a person feel safe enough to process their trauma, whether they tell the story or not.
In session, I naturally pick up on how past events are impacting your present-day functioning. I will ask you questions about this and we may explore these ties between past and present. At times, if you are comfortable with expressing thoughts and feelings without words, we may use glue, paper, paint, paper, or chalk to process these past traumas and to bring clarity on how they show up today.
Grounding Techniques
During talk therapy sessions, I inquire about how your body is talking—asking how is your gut right now, how is your chest, how are your shoulders, etc. When the stories wake up body memories, I teach/lead clients in practices to signal safety to their nervous system and bodies by paying attention to breathing, tapping their shoulder in a butterfly hug, shaking body parts, and generally bringing awareness to their body.
When experiencing big life changes, your nervous system is being taxed. Many of us feel overwhelmed by daily life, and our nervous systems are in hyper-vigilant states. We need to regulate our nervous systems to cope with daily life. I will teach you grounding practices in session for when you feel out of control (heart flutters, a queasy gut, etc.) Getting grounded calms the nervous system and begins to restore a feeling of safety and calm in your body.
After some time working together, you will begin to find the thread of hope that is connected to finding what you need.
Slowly–not suddenly–you will realize you feel a bit better, you are sleeping better, you are pursuing activities and people who fill you up, and you will begin feeling confident in small and significant ways. Slowly you will see the trauma trigger coming and use the tools you have learned in session about observing the feelings, getting grounded in the present moment, and allowing the feeling and thought to pass through you. You’ll realize it takes less and less time with practice.
You don’t have to do this alone. We can work together to find what makes you feel like yourself again.
Click on the link below to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.