How I Work as a Therapist
Create and maintain a safe therapeutic space
A therapeutic space is one in which we feel enough safety to let ourselves “fall apart” - one in which we sense that we can relax our patterned thoughts and behaviors so that we can explore and discover more of who we really are. In these spaces, we feel free to express ourselves fully and trust that we will be held with dignity and care. We feel supported by the space should we encounter strong emotions and trust that whatever we discover on the other side will be worth the journey. Without these types of safety, healing thru the therapy process becomes much more difficult.
My role in helping to create and maintain a safe emotional space is to broadcast signs of safety and avoid acting in ways that make you feel unsafe. As humans, our nervous systems naturally attune to one another and so the best sign of safety I can provide is to maintain an authentic, peaceful and engaged presence.
Additionally, I need to be aware of power dynamics in the room and potential biases I may have, so I can avoid recreating the oppressive dynamics present in so much of today's society and that I can see you for the real person you are. By way of my cultural identities and also as a therapist, I am unjustly afforded power and privilege by society and can negatively affect our dynamic within the therapy space. My desire is to slim any sense of hierarchy between us so that you feel safe, respected and seen just how you are. My goal is for you to feel safe to interrupt, disagree or challenge me at any point. You are the director of our work together and my aim is to serve and do no harm.
Despite my efforts, I still make mistakes and from time to time will cause your sense of being understood and being safe to take a hit. Those moments can be easy to gloss over but I believe what serves my clients the best is to notice those factures, pause and communicate. I do my best to catch these on my own, but I really appreciate when clients call it out, even if they aren’t sure quite how they feel. It’s an incredible opportunity to experience openness and repair with another, versus ignoring feelings and hoping they’ll go away.
Develop resources and practices that help you feel supported, bring out your strengths, increase your resiliency and inspire your life
I love to explore the things in your life that bring you a sense of support, nourishment and joy. We each have a unique set of inner and outer resources and together we will tap into them and expand as necessary. In my view, establishing at least a few solid ways you can regain control of your emotions and feel better is good to do before diving deeply into the areas of hardship and challenge. They will improve your daily life and accelerate your growth process; they are well worth the investment.
Examples of resources
Positive affirmations
Psychiatric medication
Daily journaling
Feeling places of strength within the body
Connecting with loved ones
Mindfulness and body-awareness meditation
Prayer and spiritual practice
Artistic expression such as drawing, creative writing, poetry, music\
Time in nature
Resolve what stands in the way of reaching your wellness goals
Together we’ll explore your goals, understand what’s standing in the way of realizing them and formulate a plan for addressing them. I believe things like peace, joy, and harmony are within reach for us all - they are a fundamental part of our nature. Together we can work towards resolving whatever blocks you from connecting with that part of yourself. Specific tasks we might engage in:
Shed personal shame and blame by exploring the external factors that shaped you
Replace self-defeating and limiting stories with new, empowering ways of narrating your life story
Changing habits that are no longer serving you
Resolve trauma that still lives in your body and affects you every day
Revitalize important parts of your personality you had to keep distant or hidden growing up
Process difficult or confusing emotions
Establish ways to feel safe and connected in your intimate relationships through understanding and reshaping relationship patterns
Develop an expanded perspective through non-ordinary states of consciousness, whether through psychedelic-assisted therapy or other means
Work together to custom tailor therapy so that it fits you and makes the best use of your time and resources
We are each unique - mind, body, and spirit - and therapy works most effectively when it honors this truth. I strive to work with each client in whatever way works best for them, based on ongoing feedback from them about their experience both in session and out. Modern American culture is adverse to giving feedback but it is absolutely vital to getting the best out of therapy. I strive to receive any and all feedback in a positive manner.
In addition to informal feedback in sessions, my therapy optimization process is driven by very short surveys (2-3 minutes) at the beginning and end of session. These surveys, called the Session Rating Scale and the Outcome Rating Scale, have been developed and refined over decades by researchers studying what results the best therapeutic outcomes and what helps prevent poor outcomes. Data from these surveys gives you a picture of your progress over time as well as me an understanding of where I can serve you better.