About Counseling
Counseling is a space to slow down, feel understood,
and make room for what matters to you.
Counseling gives you a place to talk about the things you may not usually talk about or feel comfortable discussing elsewhere. It can be a space to slow down and make sense of what is happening in your life, with someone who is there to listen and understand rather than tell you what you should do. Over time, that kind of space can make it easier to notice what you are feeling, understand yourself a little more clearly, and consider where you would like to go from here.
Maybe this is your first time looking for a counselor, or maybe you have been to counseling before and find yourself ready to begin again. Wherever you are starting from, you are bringing your own experiences, expectations, questions, and hopes for what counseling might be. You do not need to arrive with the right words or a clear plan. We can take the time to figure out what you need from counseling together.
I also think it matters who you invite into that space. You should have a sense of how your counselor sees people, what they believe about the counseling relationship, and what it might actually feel like to sit across from them and talk. For me, counseling begins with the belief that you are the expert on your own life and that our work together must be grounded in your experiences, your perspective, and your own way of making sense of things.
So, here is a little more about how I approach counseling, what matters to me in our work together, and what you can expect when we begin.
Person-Centered Counseling
My approach to counseling is grounded in the work of Carl Rogers and person-centered counseling.
At the heart of Rogers’ work is a pretty simple idea: you are the expert on your own life.
I have training, experience, and knowledge that I can bring into our work together. But you are the person who knows what it is like to be you.
Person-centered counseling begins with the belief that people have the capacity to grow, change, and move toward a life that feels more authentic to them. My role is not to tell you who you should become. It is to create a relationship where you can explore that for yourself.
That means our work is built around three things that Rogers believed were essential to a helpful counseling relationship: empathy, genuineness, and acceptance.
Empathy
I will work to understand your experience from your perspective.
That does not mean I will always agree with you or see things exactly as you do. It means I will be curious about your experience rather than making assumptions about it.
Genuineness
I believe counseling works best when you are sitting with a real person rather than a professional persona.
You do not have to perform for me.
You get to be yourself, and I will be myself, too.
Acceptance
You do not have to earn your place in the room.
You do not have to be happier, more productive, or easier to understand to deserve care and respect.
You get to be a whole person here.
How Does This Actually Work?
Person-centered counseling is not about sitting quietly in a chair while I occasionally ask, “How does that make you feel?”
It is a conversation. A real one.
We will talk about what is happening in your life, what is on your mind, and what feels important to you. I will listen carefully, ask questions, reflect on what I am hearing, and help you slow things down when it feels difficult to make sense of everything.
I may notice patterns or connections and bring them into the conversation. I may offer another perspective or gently challenge something when it feels helpful.
Sometimes we will know exactly where a conversation is going. Sometimes we will follow a thought and see where it leads. Sometimes something that seems small at first turns out to have a lot more underneath it.
And sometimes there will not be an obvious answer.
That is okay.
We do not have to rush to find one. Counseling is about creating enough space to understand what is happening, explore what matters to you, and figure out what you want to do next.
What Brings People to Spaces Between
People come to counseling for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes, there is a specific concern they want help with. Sometimes they simply know that something does not feel right and they want a place to sort through it.
I work with people navigating a wide range of experiences, including:
LGBTQIA+ identity and experiences
Neurodivergence, including ADHD and autism
Grief, loss, and life transitions
Anxiety, stress, and overwhelm
Trauma and difficult experiences
Identity, self-understanding, and belonging
Relationships and family concerns
Parent/child relationships
Life changes and major transitions
Self-worth, confidence, and finding your voice
Crisis, uncertainty, and feeling stuck
Questions about meaning, purpose, and what comes next
This is not an exhaustive list. You do not have to arrive with the right words, a diagnosis, or a clear understanding of what is going on. We can start with where you are and figure things out together.
What I Hope You Find Here
I hope counseling gives you a place where you do not have to perform.
A place where you can be curious instead of certain.
A place where you can talk about the things that make sense and the things that do not.
A place where you can be angry, sad, hopeful, confused, excited, overwhelmed, relieved, or all of those things at once.
I will not expect you to have everything figured out. I do not have everything figured out either.
What I can offer is a genuine relationship, a little curiosity, a lot of listening, and a space where we can make room for whatever you bring with you.
You do not have to know where this is going.
We will begin where you are.
People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be. When I look at a sunset, I don't find myself saying, "Soften the orange a bit on the right- hand corner." I don't try to control a sunset. I watch with awe as it unfolds.”
― Carl R. Rogers
