My Counseling Approach
I approach counseling from a trauma informed lens. What this means is most people have experienced ‘trauma’ on some level and it shows up in relationships, behavior, and outlook towards life. Anxiety, depression, addiction, etc. are manifestations of the deeper rooted pain. Sometimes the pain experienced are big traumas such as the loss of a loved one, divorce, abuse, sickness, and life altering events.
However, little traumas take a toll over time and often go completely unnoticed. Little by little you may feel less alive and excited about life, disconnected from others, with low motivation, direction and purpose. It could look like having a people-pleasing mentality, trust issues, low levels of addiction to food, drink, shopping etc., codependency and/or dysfunctional relationships with partners and/or family members. We might not understand what is going on or from where the issues stem. Unprocessed pain can subconsciously keep you stuck until the difficult emotions and negative self-belief are processed. When focused, you can identify where you are holding the emotion in the body. For example, grief is often felt in the lungs and heart area.
Learning the skills to consciously observe your thoughts and emotions, and connect to your body is a first step in healing. I teach my clients how to start this process and often give follow up work to do outside of our sessions.
I use a combination of educational coaching—teaching clients how to become aware of the mind-body connection, coupled with reflective listening. If wanted, I also use a mind-body protocol for emotional freedom called Splankna Therapy. This technique helps you uncover subconscious patterns and heal the root of the issue. It is similar to EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing).
This approach is completely holistic. We will observe patterns over the course of your life. It’s not about putting a band-aid on the issue, but more about creating a new perspective that is empowering and hopeful. Click here to learn more about what to expect in our experience together.
My Areas Active Listening, Reflection & Insight.
Self-Worth.
Self-worth is about holding confidently to the value God has placed upon you. However, it’s often too hard to live out how God sees us because of experiences or relationships we’ve had that negatively impacted our self image.
Grief. Trauma.
Grief is a natural response to any sort of loss and often comes and goes in stages. Unprocessed grief often shows up as anger.
Trauma is often linked with grief. When we experience trauma, big or small, we often need space to grieve our loss and move forward.
Transition. Change.
Some of the hardest times in life are during transitions. Change can be difficult for people, where we suddenly don’t feel like “ourself.” We may feel lost, unmotivated or uncertain about the future.
Attachment.
The earliest relationships with our caregivers usually impact our relationship with the world and others. We often see the patterns of our attachment style play out in our marriage or romantic relationships that can either be healthy or problematic.
Anxiety. Fear. Worry.
Excessive anxiety, fear or worry can sometimes be so consuming that it’s difficult to live in the present and enjoy the now. It can feel like the walls are closing in with no way out.
Depression.
Depression often feels like having “no energy,” not being motivated about the future, or feeling “hopeless” or “powerless.” When we’re depressed it can feel like being paralyzed or stuck.
Body Image.
Everyone has a unique relationship with their body and food. However, often eating and how we see our body can bring up negative feelings or a critical voice. It becomes difficult to enjoy food in a healthy way as the battle rages in the mind.
Family. Marriage. Relationships.
Relationships can be difficult. Often the people closest to us can be the hardest to work through. Healthy communication, connection, boundaries, respect and forgiveness are all important factors.