Therapy Services For
Trauma & Shame
Trauma can have a lasting and corrosive effect on our mind and body. Unresolved trauma may look different for each person but some typical experiences include frequently feeling emotionally overwhelmed and physically exhausted, struggling to feel safe and secure in relationships, feeling out of control and unfocused, struggling with boundaries, finding it difficult to set or achieve any meaningful goals, avoiding (i.e. procrastinating) important things in life, or making choices that leave us feeling more shame. The journey of therapy will not only help you learn how to deal with these challenges, in a safe and compassionate way, but will also make you aware of all the ways in which trauma has run your life. The goal of therapy is for you to gradually take back control.
Teens
Being a teenager is complicated time and it’s normal that it sometimes gets overwhelming. In addition, the pandemic has disrupted a primary period in child and adolescent development. Whether your teen is overwhelmed, depressed, isolated, struggling to understand their identity, having difficulty in school, self-harming, using substances, or withholding at home, they can deeply benefit from a safe space dedicated to addressing their challenges. If you’ve been worrying about your teen and feeling that they need someone to talk to then it may be time for therapy.
Immigrants or Children of Immigrants
There are unique challenges that immigrants and children of immigrants face in growing up and finding themselves. It can be incredibly stressful to be faced with choosing between cultural traditions or a more independent path that may include assimilation. This can create deep conflicts between parents and children, who may have significant generational differences. This can also make identity development a complicated task. It is deeply valuable to sit with someone who can understand this complex conflict and help you define who you are and how you express it.
How I Work: Depth Therapy
Together we closely explore your feelings, thoughts, patterns of behavior, hopes, and struggles in order to develop a deeper knowledge and awareness of what’s going on for you underneath the surface. The focus is often on the psychological roots of your emotional suffering. At times that also means examining the internally written story of your life.
As you learn more about yourself in a deeper way you are better able to understand why you respond the way you do in life, how you relate to others, and how you might begin to change the things that are not working for you. While this journey of going deeper takes time, patience is paid off with with internal freedom and empowerment to accept the parts of yourself you’ve cast out and grow in the areas that have felt stuck for so long.
“As painful and confusing experiences are explored in a safe way, you can connect more honestly and compassionately with your struggle. With awareness, you become less reactive. You naturally uncover new ways of relating to yourself and others, unforeseen possibilities come into view, and ultimately you gain greater choice in your life.”
- Mia Gutfreund, LCSW