Why come to therapy?
You may have considered starting therapy for a long time, or only recently come to the conclusion that it could be time to seek support. Either way, I'm glad you have made it this far.
People commit to therapy for all kinds of reasons but below are some of the difficulties that can be addressed using the modalities I practice.
Depression (with or without anxiety)
Depression can manifest as a wide variety of symptoms. You may notice you are depressed because you feel unable to experience joy, struggle to self-motivate and feel heavy in your body.
I believe depression always has a cause, and in therapy we seek to be curious together about what might be creating the low mood, what maintains it and what might help.
Sexuality or Gender related questioning, exploration or distress
Feeling confused or conflicted about
your sexuality and/or gender identity and expression?
Therapy can be a place to begin to make sense of your experience in a non-judgmental and curious way.
Experiences of Oppression
Being part of one or more marginalised groups (race, sexuality, gender, neurodivergence, disability) can create specific difficulties in social connection, self-acceptance, and internal conflict. I take an open and validating stance, seeking to support you in witnessing all that you are with compassion, moving toward greater empowerment.
Trauma (single incident, complex and developmental)
A challenging life experience that overwhelms our ability to cope can lead to the development of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). (click for more information)
If our trauma occurs repeatedly, when we are very young, or at the hands of our caregivers, we may develop Complex PTSD.
Risk factors include:
being raised in a family who struggled with addiction, mental illness, physical illness and/or war exposure, all of which significantly impact our nervous system and social connection.
Experiences like those above, and of domestic violence, abuse and neglect of all kinds, can also make us more vulnerable to further trauma as an adult, further compounding our survival strategies.
Therapy can help identify whether you are suffering from PTSD or CPTSD and, through a structured 3-phase therapy process, help restore a sense of calm in the body and an ability to be present in the world as an adult.
Relationship Difficulties
Our early modelling for relationships can greatly direct how we connect as adults. We may be anxious, clinging to our friends and partners in fear of being abandoned. We may be the other end of the spectrum, avoiding intimacy and isolating for fear of being suffocated or controlled. We may move between these two, or be quite ambivilant.
In therapy we can bring into awareness these patterns and through the relationship in the room, begin to transform them.
Work related problems
Struggling to organise yourself? Procrastinating? Perfectionism? Working too much? Charging too little? Unsure what your want to how to meet your goals?
Therapy can help highlight the blocks to movement and also to rest. help with communicating boundaries better and getting more of what you need and want.