New (or returning) to therapy
If you’re new to therapy, or giving it another try, the process can be intimidating. Telling a stranger some of your most vulnerable thoughts or experiences requires a lot of courage. Many people feel anxious and overwhelmed about starting a new therapeutic relationship. Common thoughts might be…
Where do I start?
Are my problems “bad enough” for me to need therapy?
Will this even help?
Am I going to be judged or told what to do?
The start of my work with new clients is usually where we just gather information, get to know each other, and build up our working relationship. Along the way, I’ll ask questions, tell you if I’m noticing any patterns to see if they resonate with you, and give you space to hone in on what you’d like to work on. This is where we’ll start.
Executive functioning
Wrestling with executive functioning issues can look like:
Losing focus
Having trouble getting started
Getting overwhelmed by prioritizing the steps in a project
Feeling like it’s impossible to follow through with something even when you care a lot about it
Forgetting things you were planning to do.
If you know that this is something you struggle with or you have an ADHD diagnosis, you’ve likely tried a lot of different fixes and gotten a ton of frustrating advice from well-meaning people who want to help. Some part of you may recognize that it’s not just laziness or lack of determination, but when you keep running into a brick wall, it can be hard not to feel like it is.
When it comes to executive functioning challenges and ADHD, there are often two main areas where work is needed:
Unpacking and unlearning shame
Finding strategies that work for you
Big feelings
Being someone who feels things deeply can be a wonderful thing. It can allow you to have really meaningful relationships and give you more compassion for those who are different from you. You might feel like experiencing the highs and lows in life allow you to really experience your humanity. But when you have big feelings that feel out of control, that’s when things can become challenging. You probably don’t want to burst into tears in the middle of the grocery store or become enraged in a work meeting. The problem isn’t the feelings themselves; it’s the sense that you’re emotions are driving the ship.
When I work with big feelers, we honor the emotions by becoming curious and giving them space. We also work on teaching your brain that those emotions are safe, which helps put you back in the driver’s seat.