Individual Therapy
Strengthening your relationship yourself...
Affirming your relationship with yourself (i.e., self affirmation) can enable you to better show up in relationships external to you. This is the work that I do with you.
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Therapy is a deeply personal experience that oftentimes invites feelings of discomfort but has the potential to be transformative.
As a systemic therapist, I recognise that you do not exist in a vacuum and view you in relation to your connections (past, present, and even future). I consider how context (e.g. relationships, culture, society) influences individual experience and mental health.
In my work with clients, the problem is the problem; it is not who you are, but instead, what you are experiencing.
I attune to influences like systemic violence, relational trauma, and stress as clients work towards healing, empowerment, and oftentimes resistance.
Does this resonate with you? Book an initial consultation here.
Please note that currently, I do not have any capacity to work with clients who are at high risk. That is, those experiencing recent (in the last 3 months) or current Intimate partner violence and/or domestic violence, current active suicidal ideation/attempts.
My Approach
Gabor Mate once said...
"Settling for the view that illnesses, mental or physical, are primarily genetic allows us to avoid disturbing questions about the nature of society we live in. If "science" enables us to ignore poverty [...] and stressful social culture as contributors to disease, we can look only to simply answers: pharmacological and biological."
The basics
I work collaboratively with you to identify and understand:
- who (e.g., your identity intersectionalities) and where you are, and how this came to be
- who and where you want to be, and what's important to you
- what might be getting in the way, and how you can navigate these challenges in alignment with your values and authenticity
Debunking Myths
Myth #1: A common misconception is that therapy is and should be a "last resort".
Subsequently, many people do themselves a disservice by waiting until things seem unfixable/overwhelming to seek therapeutic support. At this point, they react out of a place of desperation and urgency and hope that therapy will be a quick, saving grace.
Favorable outcomes are correlated with therapy for the purposes of proactivity and maintenance.
This is not to say that therapy cannot be helpful even if it is a last resort. With that, what you should know is:
Therapy is a PROCESS that requires commitment, time, and patience.
Myth #2: Another common misconception is that you need to be in active distress or experiencing a "problem" to benefit from therapy.
Having a dedicated space to reflect, speak openly, and have meaningful conversations with someone who has the capacity, insight, and skills to engage with you in the manner you need can be affirming and uplifting