Is everything supposed to be this hard?
You wonder if feeling anxious and worried all the time is normal. You ask yourself if this is how life is supposed to be. Do you wonder if your expectations are too high or simply wrong? It may feel hard to be present, in the moment, or to fully enjoy the gifts and blessings in your life. This may lead to feelings of guilt and being even harder on yourself. Blaming yourself may be a default state for you. Is it really all your fault? I challenge this assumption of yours.
How can therapy help me with this?
There is something powerful about verbalizing your inner thoughts out loud. Letting your thoughts, no matter how embarrassing you may think they are, see the light of day. Talking will make them less big and scary and problematic. Identifying and naming your feelings will also allow us to talk about what you're going through. If we can talk about it, we can figure it out. You may think you can just talk to your friends or plants or pets. They’re all wonderful and important parts of good mental health; however, they are not mental health professionals. You need someone who will be able to listen without judgment or bias; ask you questions to make you think deeper; and, help you problem solve in a way that is best for you and you alone.
Will therapy be effective?
Therapy is not an obvious upgrade like a new car or wardrobe but if you do the work in therapy, you’ll feel and know the difference. You will feel steadier and therefore better able to think through problems objectively. You’ll be present so you can respond meaningfully to the people in your life no matter what they throw your way. Life will feel more manageable because you’ll be able to handle it all better. Therapists train in a variety of ways. I have experience in psychoanalytic-psychodynamic theories, cognitive behavioral therapy, and family systems. If you don’t know what that means, that’s okay. It’s my technical way of saying I have spent many years training and working. My decades of working with children, adolescents, and adults have made me an experienced and seasoned therapist. Plus, my own lived experience which undoubtedly contributes to who I am and how I work.
My Approach
My patients often describe me as practical, down to earth, easy to talk to, and funny. Well, that’s subjective, isn’t it. Whether or not you think I’m funny will depend on whether we share the same fondness for the quirky, weird, and dark.
I believe there has to be chemistry and a good fit between a client and their therapist. It won’t matter that I am the best therapist in the world if you and I don’t click. The earliest way to figure that out is to have a phone consultation. We can chat for about 15 minutes to see if we can move forward.