Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.
—Brené Brown
Empowerment
As your therapist my goal is to help you improve your relationships, starting with the most important relationship of all - the one you have with yourself. Personal empowerment covers many areas of mental wellness including managing anxiety, letting go of people-pleasing and codependency traits, processing trauma, and integrating more boundaries, assertiveness, and authenticity into your life. The benefits of becoming more empowered can include improved self-esteem, gaining a clearer sense of direction, having more satisfaction in your relationships, and developing a greater sense of purpose in your life. Helping people effectively communicate and become more empowered is my biggest passion professionally, and I feel honored to help you grow into the best version of yourself.
The Challenge:
Anxiety: High levels of anxiety cause people to approach the world from a place of fear and worry. This often leads them to over-plan, become rigid, avoid, or try to control the uncontrollable. Going through life this way can be exhausting and can inadvertently push others away in the process. Therapy can support you become more flexible in your approach to life, let go of rigid patterns, and find more balance and peace. When anxieties lead to more extreme ways of avoiding, I guide clients with exposure therapy techniques. The more you avoid something that makes you anxious, the greater the anxiety gets. Luckily, the opposite is also true. The more you expose yourself to stimuli that make you anxious, the more manageable it becomes. As part of the anxiety spectrum, I am proficient at helping people with social anxiety, perfectionism, and anticipatory anxiety. Incorporating more joy into your life and taking yourself less seriously are additional benefits to managing your anxiety.
People Pleasing: People pleasing is a personality trait that includes aspects like being overly agreeable, apologizing for things that aren’t your fault, not being able to say no, adjusting your personality to match those around you, having other people define your worth, etc. These traits tend to leave people with built-up resentments, a lack of self-care and self-awareness, and difficulty enjoying life. If this sounds familiar, engaging in therapy can help you make more space for yourself and recognize your self-worth.
Co-dependency: While codependency was originally defined as a type of relationship that only existed in the context of dysfunctional families and those with substance abuse issues, it is now understood that this form of dependency applies to those without substance abuse concerns as well. The typical dynamic in a codependent relationship is with someone who rescues and someone who needs rescuing. This can take many forms, some of which include taking care of others to the detriment of your own needs, always needing to be in a relationship, having trouble being alone, attracting “needy” friends and partners, losing your sense of self in the service of others, being hyper-focused on other’s concerns, feeling a need to be needed by others, enabling, etc. Ultimately codependency can lead to a compromised development of one’s own identity due to being overly interconnected with others.
The Solution:
Effective Communication: To help people effectively communicate, I pay close attention to the words clients use and challenge them to get better and better at expressing themselves. It is important to be able to communicate messages effectively in order to express what you want and to be heard by those you love. It is all too common to see people avoiding important conversations or being disappointed with the results due to not having the tools needed to be effective in difficult conversations. Being assertive is something that we learn, and it can take time to understand and refine this skill. I enjoy teaching people how to be assertive and set boundaries while also providing the space needed to practice these skills and learn how to enforce these boundaries consistently. The more effectively you can communicate, the easier it is to resolve concerns both inside and outside of therapy sessions.
Self-improvement: Therapy can be a place to help you get back to your baseline, or it can be a place for you to continue to challenge yourself in new and exciting ways. Therapy is not just helpful for those experiencing unwanted psychiatric symptoms, but also for people who enjoy the process of self-discovery, have the desire to reflect and challenge themselves, and for those who want to become the best version of themselves. Helping you to live authentically and exceed your life goals is incredibly rewarding. We all face life transitions, challenging times, and periods of growth. Individual therapy can empower you to accelerate your goals and move forward with a sense of direction.
Authenticity: Becoming aware of your authentic self and living in a way that is consistent with this is one of the most liberating feelings. Whether you are discovering more about yourself through conversation or psychological assessments, it is important to gain a better understanding of the way you view yourself, others, and the world. Oftentimes life experiences shift our perspectives in ways that may no longer be helpful to us. I enjoy the process of helping my clients understand the lens through which they see the world, the patterns that maintain it, and helping them adjust this lens to better meet their current needs and desires. Living authentically can include goals such as: making decisions based on your own wants/desires/values, breaking out of societal or religious expectations, starting your own company, transitioning to the gender that is correct for you, and setting a higher bar for what life fulfillment can look like. Living in a way that is authentic and meaningful can allow you to approach life with a newfound sense of engagement and interest. As a trained psychedelic assisted therapist, I also offer integration sessions to help people gain insight and awareness from these experiences.