Welcome! Starting or continuing your therapeutic journey shows courage. I invite you to pick up a metaphorical cup of aroma-filled coffee, relax, and read through the information on this website. I hope you’ll find it helpful. The coffee is brewing.
Client vignettes:
- High achiever, but you hurt on the inside?
- Trying to decide whether to stay or go?
- Want to make changes, but keep falling back on old patterns?
- Desire more love in your life?
- Need a new perspective on old problems?
Many people I work with are seeking help with their relationships. Often a partner has told them they need therapy, and perhaps even hinted that change was needed for the relationship to continue. For some, a loving and equal relationship has seemed impossible to find and feelings of hopelessness have crept in.
Another common situation is when you have hit a plateau with your growth and progress. Sometimes this occurs when you’ve reached the natural end of therapy with a current counselor. At other times, clients are looking to return to therapy, but want to work with someone new or try a different approach. They are ready to take the next healing step.
Having a harsh “inner critic” also prompts clients to seek help from painful beliefs they are not good enough. Their anxiety, stress, and self-doubt are exhausting, though often they are also managed through high energy and high performance. And sometimes clients are vaguely aware that worries and traumas from the past keep interfering with living vibrantly and fully in the present.
Though these are only a few of the types of reasons people seek therapy, they point to many of the tremendous benefits therapy can provide help with in bringing changes to your life. Good therapy is like having good chocolate to go along with your cappuccino—they work well together and bring great satisfaction.
If you are experiencing challenges with feeling good, finding your “best” self, or wondering what’s next for you in life and would like to discuss the possibility of therapy, give me a call at 512-751-4884. I am happy to set up a brief complimentary consultation so that we may determine whether I might be a good fit for your hopes and goals. Below, you’ll also find additional information on IFS, which is the theoretical orientation I use to assist you in bringing about the life you desire.
Wishing you all the best,
Marie
The wound is the place where the Light enters you. -Rumi
A NEW KIND OF THERAPY
I used to think therapy was all about figuring out “why,” why you hurt or do the things you do. Armed with this information, you would then be able to change. I was also taught that therapy is all about “relationship” and that the relationship with your therapist is what heals you through the magic of holding your connection with them in your mind and heart. And really, there is a tremendous amount of truth to the healing power of compassion and connection, along with expert guidance.
Yet, it also became clear that sometimes traditional talk therapy couldn’t get to the places it needed to go, no matter how long we talked, how much we understood, or how strong the relationship was. Something more was needed.
Enter IFS (Internal Family Systems). IFS is an approach that adds a gentle and profound dimension to traditional talk therapy. Based in neurobiology, IFS has the unique ability to update those parts of our mind that were bruised in the process of growing up and need help to be free from painful memories, emotions, or beliefs. As these parts are healed, a new space opens within us and we are able to experience and bring in new and lasting qualities, such as happiness, vitality, and confidence.
I have deep faith in the healing capacity within each of us. Big changes are possible, and all parts are welcome along your healing journey. -Marie Walker, Ph.D.
Marie Walker, Ph.D., 512-751-4884