Going to therapy is a vulnerable experience! One of the first lessons I learned in graduate school and that I’ve seen reinforced over and over for the last two decades is that what makes therapy most likely to be helpful is the strength of the client/therapist relationship. It’s so true.
As you’re considering therapy, we might be a great fit to work together if you’re experiencing one or several of these symptoms:
You have physical symptoms related to stress. Stress can manifest in a variety of physical symptoms (muscle tension, GI distress, sleep problems, weakened immune system, increased heart rate and blood pressure, and fatigue, to name a few). This is your body's way of signaling that something needs our attention
You’re not taking care of yourself. Maybe you’re so focused on others that you forgot you have needs, maybe your life is so full and often chaotic that you don’t have time, maybe you’re so “in it” that you don’t even know what you need but you know you need something.
You’ve been through something (or many somethings) really hard. In the mental health world, we often refer to this as trauma, a mind and body response to an event or experience that is deeply distressing or disturbing. Experiences like accidents, abuse, violence, natural disasters or sudden loss can cause trauma.
Because of this, you have hard a hard time coping with daily life, leaving you feeling helpless, fearful, or out of control. Trauma can disrupt a person's sense of security, leading to symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and difficulty trusting others.
You feel disconnected or lost. Your relationships often suffer, you feel isolated and lonely, and you’re disengaged from what you want in life or who you really are.
You’re grieving. Losing a loved one, the end of a relationship, changes in health and abilities, unfulfilled dreams, missed opportunities, unmet expectations, changes in life circumstances, and hopes for a particular future - these are griefs that need space to be shared.
You feel anxious, depressed, angry, fearful, and generally unsettled in your everyday life. You often feel as if you’re reacting to life, and surviving it rather than enjoying it.