Services
Individual Counseling for Adults and Adolescents
Depression
Life has become very heavy and dark. You might be feeling worn down, irritable, chronically sad, or even hopeless. It is harder to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Negative thoughts and perceptions come much more automatically than positive ones. In fact, it may be painful to smile or laugh. You may be wondering what life would be like without you, or feel excessive guilt. Maybe sleep and appetite has been different lately, and others are expressing concern about your mood or isolation. You cry often seemingly for no reason. It is hard to feel interested in anything, and it’s hard to feel connected.
Anxiety
You are restless, fatigued, irritable, worried, and buzzing. It is difficult to sit still or you feel frozen and paralyzed by tension. You may have racing thoughts or general difficulty keeping up with your thoughts; you space out and your mind wanders often. You feel “on edge,” and often worry about things. It might be hard to sleep, or even wind down at night. The anxiety brings more anxiety, and it seems like a continuous cycle. It is hard to focus, and if you do, it is hard to be aware of your surroundings or concentrate for long periods of time. Sometimes it is difficult to let go of your thoughts. You find yourself thinking “what if” a lot and preparing for imagined future scenarios or problems. All you want to do is to relax.
Relationship Issues
You struggle with a particular relationship or relationships in general. It is very difficult to trust or feel safe with others. You are overly guarded and cautious or overly vulnerable with others; boundaries are hard. Perhaps you feel taken advantage of at work, resentful in your marriage, lonely, or just find it difficult to be around others. You find yourself comparing yourself to others and feeling not “good enough” often. You worry and question what others think of you, or you have just stopped caring because you have given up on people. In general, you feel insecure with others and your struggle with relationships causes you considerable pain and suffering in your life.
Trauma
You experienced something or many "somethings" in your recent or distant past that have been hard to let go of. Maybe you have memories that come into your mind often or maybe there are gaps in your memory, but you aren’t sure why. The effects of this leave you feeling stuck and trapped; you find it difficult to trust others and that the world is a safe place. You might feel rage, apathy, numbness, helplessness, or fear. You may be overly alert or disconnected to your body and your surroundings. It is almost always a struggle to engage in the moment and fully let loose. If you do, it is because you are emotionally shut down or checked out. It seems like you will never overcome the shame, relax, feel connected to your body, feel in control of your emotions, focus, and move forward with your life. Avoidance seems like the only solution, and it’s hard to see a way forward.
Anger
Anger is difficult to tolerate— maybe because you have a short fuse and feel angry so frequently, or maybe because anger scares you. Regardless, you are not happy with your relationship to anger, you don’t understand it, and you want to feel more in control. Sometimes you either lash out or hold the anger in for so long that you have physical symptoms. Or perhaps it just lingers as resentment and judgment of others. Maybe the anger you feel is about an injustice that has happened and you want to fight against it, but feel helpless. Anger is starting to impact your life in unhelpful ways and you are looking to transform it into something more productive and tolerable.
Life Changes
You are going through big change in your life. You have just moved, started a new job, gone through a divorce, or changed careers. Perhaps you are considering a life change, but something is holding you back. The adjustment seems overwhelming and you need support. Maybe you are experiencing more intense emotions than usual, and aren’t sure why. You are wanting things to be stable again— predictable. You may be looking for practical strategies for navigating the change such as how to apply to college, or you may need help building a sense of hope and purpose. You just know you need help navigating these new waters.
Grief and Loss
Something or someone has gone from your life, either permanently or temporarily. Either way, it has left you with many mixed emotions and unsure of how to proceed from here. You feel anger at times, but other times you feel sadness and longing. You might even physically feel a pain in your heart. However, some days you feel fine, “normal” or even grateful and engaged. You are able to laugh and experience joy, but other emotions are triggered easily. You might be wondering if you are depressed or have an anxiety disorder because of the stress. You find yourself not knowing exactly who you are anymore, or what you want in life now that you have had this loss.
Telehealth
You are somewhat fearful of leaving the home due to COVID. Or maybe commuting is stressful and lowers your quality of life. Maybe virtual meetings are easier to tolerate emotionally, or you live in another part of the state. That's ok! I offer both in-office and tele-therapy.