Traditional Talk Therapy

You want to know the secret of therapy? It’s not sexy or cutting edge, it’s not new, and it doesn’t come in a pill. Therapy works because of the relationship between therapist and client.

No matter who you are, when you become my client, you will be in a supportive relationship with me. You will have an open place to say things you may have never before said, and in so doing, unlock parts of yourself you never knew existed.

My role in this sort of therapy is to provide the trellis on which you can grow. Typically, I do this by listening for what you’re not directly saying, asking you questions about it, and sometimes providing new perspectives.

No matter what, your feedback will guide our progress. I make it a point to ask for feedback regularly. For some, this will also mean exploring what it’s like to offer honest feedback, as many of us are conditioned to pretend that everything is just fine. In therapy, you can play with the idea that you’re allowed to express your truth. You will remain safe within our relationship.

You may be coming to therapy with some knowledge of different forms of therapy (goodness knows the acronyms abound: CBT, DBT, EMDR, the list goes on and on). I have expertise in a number of these approaches (see my page on EMDR for specifics). In traditional talk therapy, I often incorporate the tools and theory that come from an approach known as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Essentially, talk therapy allows for a fairly open ended exploration of whatever is going on for you. Through listening deeply and with an intention of healing, I can provide you with expert feedback based on aligning your actions with your values. This means clarifying those values, and identifying what you’re doing that is not currently in line with those values.

The misalignment between behavior and values is what interested me in psychology in the first place. It seems like it should be simple to act in a way that gives us the life we want. Want to be healthier? Exercise and eat right. Simple. Want to feel calmer? Meditate. Simple. Want more friends? Reach out more. Simple.

Simple, not easy. Talk therapy allows us the space to identify the barriers that keep you on the couch when your goal is to move more, or maintain brain chaos when you really want peace of mind, or isolate yourself when you want more connection. Typically, we find that the barriers are emotional, and ACT gives us concrete and research supported methods to work with those emotional barriers.

If you’re interested in talk therapy, or any combination of the services I offer, don’t hesitate to reach out for a no pressure conversation.