Counseling

You're Not Alone

Maybe you are experiencing anxiety to the point of having panic attacks, or are so down and tired that getting out of bed in the morning takes enormous effort. Maybe you are feeling lost, alone, and grieving having recently lost a loved one, a pet, a job, or a relationship. Perhaps you are feeling confused and scared due to the unprecedented uncertainty of the times we’re living through right now; or maybe you are struggling to find meaning, purpose, and direction in life and nothing seems to fit for you. Perhaps you have been struggling with destructive habits, negative thoughts, or painful beliefs about yourself that are getting in the way of being able to relax alone, enjoy relationships, or thrive at work.

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Whatever you are struggling with, and whether you have experienced these or similar issues since childhood or are facing them for the first time, you are not alone. Mental/emotional challenges are part of being human and there are times in everyone’s life when we need some extra support and guidance.

 

Our culture has not been the best in teaching us how to manage our thoughts and emotions in ways that promote a healthy relationship with ourselves and the ability to live and enjoy our lives to the fullest.

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Finding the Right Support

It takes courage to reach out for support and sometimes perseverance to find the right fit. To be truly helpful, therapy needs to be a collaborative alliance between you and your therapist, and it’s important that you feel comfortable and safe to express yourself so you can fully explore your issues and concerns.

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What to Expect

Our first several sessions will focus on understanding the nature of the challenges you are facing and identifying your goals and what changes you’d like to see in yourself and your life. Together we’ll develop a treatment approach tailored to you and your unique needs. As we progress, we’ll open new doors of exploration and you will learn skills as needed to manage stress, anxiety, insomnia, grief, depression, physical pain, or other symptoms in healthy ways that work for you.

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Treatment Approaches

Depending on your individual needs, preferences, and goals, the following are some of the primary approaches I use.

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Motivational Interviewing: This is a counseling approach that helps resolve ambivalent feelings and insecurities and helps you develop clarity and the internal motivation to make the changes you want to make in your life.

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Mindfulness-Based Techniques:  Focused on developing skills and practices that build up your resilience to stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as support your ability to stay present in a compassionate way with whatever emotions and sensations you are experiencing in the moment.

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Recent neuroscientific discoveries have led to refining traditional CBT to better support you in becoming aware of and changing thinking patterns that cause or exacerbate anxiety and depression.

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Somatic Psychotherapy: Somatic psychotherapy views the body and mind as integrated in one holistic system. This approach seeks to decrease symptoms such as anxiety and depression by facilitating increased awareness of body sensations and emotions, and by teaching skills for regulating the nervous system and for tolerating difficult emotional states and/or physical sensations.

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Gestalt Therapy: A method of interacting with different parts of yourself in creative ways to gain greater perspective, compassion, and understanding of your whole self.

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Online or In-Person Sessions

I am currently offering both online sessions and in-person sessions. Online therapy is convenient, easy to use, secure, and for many people is as effective as in person therapy.

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Is Now a Good Time to Start Therapy?

Anxiety and worry are challenges for many of us at the best of times. But they become even more problematical when things feel uncertain and unpredictable, when we are faced with new challenges, and when we have a lot of “what if” worries.

 

Many of us are struggling with loss of jobs, careers, financial worries, and isolation as well as health concerns for ourselves and our loved ones.

In times like these when it’s tempting to withdraw or turn to other destructive habits to help manage our emotions, we paradoxically have a unique opportunity to cultivate a more harmonious relationship with ourselves and to make profound changes in our lives in ways we may not have felt capable of in more peaceful times.

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While it may feel like a risk to invest in yourself at such an uncertain time, consider that it may be the ideal time for you to learn new coping skills and emerge from this crisis with new found strength, resilience, and clarity.

 

More About Paula

Paula Stephani, MA, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado. She graduated from Naropa University in 2009 with a master’s degree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology.

 

After graduating, Paula worked at a community mental health center for eleven years as a crisis counselor and clinical supervisor before starting a private practice. She also volunteers as a grief support group facilitator at TRU Care Hospice.

 

Paula specializes in the treatment of anxiety and grief. Her attachment-based and client-focused approach focuses on supporting clients in developing a compassionate, harmonious, accepting, and empowered relationship with themselves.

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Contact Paula today to set up a free 20 minute phone consultation.

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