Individual Therapy

Why come to individual therapy?

The answer is likely because you have a ‘story.’ It’s all yours – good or bad. Long or short. There will be good portions and pieces that you would like to eliminate. But the story is yours.

Maybe your story is like Matthew’s*.

Matthew is recently divorced. He doesn’t know how to navigate his first Thanksgiving without his children, who will be with his ex-wife for the holiday.

Matthew longs for companionship but is petrified that he won’t be able to trust anyone after the divorce.

As he struggles with this painful transition, feelings of frustration, anxiety, and prevailing loneliness abound. Some days it is even hard to get out of bed.

Suzanne’s story is best described as ‘shoulda’.

On paper, it looks like Suzanne has it all. Great job, sweet kids, and an involved husband.

But the truth is entirely different. Suzanne is unhappy and stressed out a lot of the time. So many balls in the air. She becomes her worst critic if she drops or even bobbles one of the balls. 

Suzanne spends time telling herself she should have done better, should have been nicer… Should. Should. Should. Should. Should. A never-ending list of ‘shoulds’ runs through her mind, making her feel unworthy and depressed.

Ashley feels pulled in every direction possible.

Burnt out by Tuesday, Ashley is unsure how she’ll make it to Friday.

The word “no” doesn’t make it into Ashley’s vocabulary very often. She’s highly skilled at ensuring other people’s needs are met, but not hers.

Setting boundaries? What? Ashley finds herself doing things she doesn’t want to do A LOT and then feels overwrought, tense, resentful, and sad. Her relationships are suffering, too.

Your ‘story’ doesn’t have to define you.

Stories like these are common in my work with clients. Early in the process with me, they realize that this story doesn’t have to define them. They start creating healthy, long-lasting changes in their lives, and a new, positive story emerges!