Most people go into therapy as a last resort after they have tried other solutions that have not relieved their pain and distress. Psychotherapy can be a transformative and healing experience, which may seem like a good thing—and it often is—but change can also be scary because it might mean shedding long-standing ways of being in the world and adopting new ones. Additionally, it is normal to be anxious about trusting your inner life to someone you don’t know—to risk being vulnerable by disclosing feelings of shame, desire, regret, fear, rage, etc. A sense of safety and trust develops slowly over time, and depends on feeling accepted, cared for and understood. For these reasons it takes courage to engage in therapy.

I try to establish a relationship and a space in which you can talk about things that may have been hard to discuss with others, in which unacceptable, unformulated, and, at times, unexpected feelings, thoughts, memories, and experiences can emerge. When you recognize that your feelings and perceptions are inherently valid and part of who you are—and understand something about their origins — it is often enlightening and it provides relief because it eases the burden of having to ward off, protect or anesthetize yourself against distressing emotions.

The process of discovering more about yourself can truly be an adventure.