I really enjoy my work with individuals.  I see clients struggling with a sense of being pigeonholed and defined by their problems.  When they are depressed they feel they are a depressed person and lose sight of all of the other qualities, intentions, skills, abilities and other identities they have.  So often in this culture, our problems become identity statements about ourselves.  I help clients see themselves as separate from depression, anxiety or whatever issue they are facing.  With this separation, they are better able to locate their possibly forgotten strengths and abilities.  I believe that the problem is the problem… not the person.

Here is an example of Individual Therapy:

When Nicole first came to therapy, she was anxious, depressed and feeling suicidal.  Nicole was struggling in an unsatisfying relationship – feeling very dependant and unable to leave.   She felt that her relationship with her boyfriend was going nowhere (she wanted to get married) and yet, being so dependent on her boyfriend, that she often experienced panic attacks when he was away.

Through therapy, Nicole explored how she felt invited into 'over-responsibility' in many of her relationships and the ways she tended to let her own interests and abilities go to attend to others.  We wondered together about gender messages in our culture that invite women into caretaking and putting others first.  Nicole discovered that, in her own family-of-origin, guilt had led to her repeatedly sacrificing herself to take care of others.  During her therapy, Nicole began to re-discover forgotten abilities, skills, interests and passions. She started to develop and focus on avocations she’d left behind and friendships, both new and old.    As she did this, Nicole's confidence grew and she was able to make more healthy choices for herself and not become caught up in over-responsibility.