Most of us experience traumatic or stressful events at some point in our lives. Traumatic experiences can impact your sense of safety, your connections with family and friends, the intensity of your emotions, and your ability to work and do daily activities. You might even feel like you’re reliving the traumatic event through intrusive and distressing memories, nightmares, and flashbacks that are triggered by reminders of the trauma.
Trauma can leave you feeling stuck in a constant state of fear and painful memories, but you don’t have to cope on your own. Through therapy, you can start to heal and reclaim your life from trauma. I have extensive training in evidence-based therapies that are proven to reduce the effects of trauma and help you embrace life again, including cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure therapy, and written exposure therapy.
Fish Psychotherapy & Consulting will provide you a safe yet encouraging space to share your experiences with trauma and how they’ve affected you. After we’ve developed a strong and trusting relationship, therapy will focus on supporting you process your experiences, as well as your emotions. You’ll gain valuable skills and knowledge to help you manage the impact trauma has on your life, including identifying triggers and engaging in positive coping skills. Through therapy, you’ll be empowered to take your life back from trauma.
Life is full of ups and downs. Other times, we feel plain old stuck. Feeling a wide range of emotions is a part of life, but you may find yourself experiencing more intense or negative emotions than you’d like to, including depression, anxiety and worry, or even anger, When this happens, it’s hard to feel present and enjoy life. Being constantly bombarded with negative emotions can impact how you think and act, making it difficult to cope.
People seek out therapy for help with their emotions regularly. You may be going through a challenging life transition and want to process your emotions. You may feel sad or down and want skills to help you cope. You may be worrying more than usual and want strategies for managing your thoughts. Fish Psychotherapy & Consulting can help you get your emotions back on track. I have ample experience helping people identify, process, and cope with their emotions. I offer cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy to support you in developing a healthy relationship with your emotions. Therapy will provide you with the tools you need to confidently navigate all of your emotions and find joy in the present moment.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed our relationship with work. People took stock of what was important to them and left their old jobs for positions that were a better fit. Now more than ever, there’s greater workplace flexibility and people are constantly reconsidering the role that work plays in their life. You may be figuring out how to achieve work-life balance, be contemplating a major career change, or trying to manage the impact of work stress on your life. I may not know your work circumstances yet, but what I do know is you deserve to find joy and meaning in what you do.
From college students to people with established careers (and everyone in between), I’m passionate about helping people find a job that’s the best fit for their life. Not only do I want you to be fulfilled in your work, but I want you to have a job that meets your needs. I have specialized training and experience in career and vocational counseling to help you align your personal values with a satisfying job. Fish Psychotherapy & Consulting will give you the necessary time and tools you need to explore your interests and get reacquainted with what matters to you so you can be empowered when making choices about your career.
I don’t believe in a “one size fits all” approach to therapy. I care about who you are and what matters to you. In therapy, I’ll take the time to learn about you, your identities, and experiences. I take great care to customize therapy to you and your needs, which may include culturally-based approaches to healing that are important to you. I’ll work closely with you to ensure that therapy is appropriately and carefully tailored to you.
When you’re ready to start therapy, please contact me for a free 15-minute initial consultation. We’ll talk briefly (on the phone) about becoming a client and what brings you to therapy. This is an opportunity to lay the foundation for therapy and get to know each other. I’m also happy to answer any questions you have at this time and schedule our first session together.
Many clients are curious about what therapy will be like. I want beginning therapy to be a transparent process for you.
I offer services in person and via telehealth to accommodate clients’ needs and lifestyles. I currently see clients on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. For clients who would like to attend therapy sessions in person, my office is located in Saint Paul. Telehealth is available for all clients in the state of Minnesota.
Prior to our first therapy session together, I’ll send you paperwork to complete online through the client portal, which is secure and HIPAA-compliant. It’s important to complete these forms before your first therapy session so we have time to get to know each other and talk about what brings you to therapy.
Your first therapy session is also known as an intake session. During this time, I’ll ask questions to get a better sense of what brings you to therapy and your mental health goals. Afterwards, we’ll create a tentative plan for working together. I’ll also provide information about how my private practice works so you can know what to expect. This is also a good time for you to ask questions. We’ll take this session at your pace, as building a trusting and collaborative relationship is my priority.
Although your first therapy session can be overwhelming, it may help to know that following sessions will be different. What we do in remaining therapy sessions will differ from client to client. I encourage you to review the services I offer to see topics we may cover and the therapies I use. Sessions are always based on your needs and tailored to you. As we work through the concerns that brought you to therapy, we’ll identify practical skills and strategies to achieve your goals and create lasting change.