erica@mindful-therapy.net

There are many reasons you may seek therapy. You may come because of issues with relationships, work or self-esteem or you may seek help with feelings of depression, anxiety, or grief. You may be in a major life transition with the birth of a baby, loss of a loved one, divorce, or a diagnosis of illness. You may wish to find more meaning in your life or to address feelings of emptiness. Whatever your motivation for coming to therapy, it is my goal that our work together may help you to:

·  come to know yourself better
·  recognize your innate strengths and natural wisdom
·  help to heal deep wounds and trauma
·  recognize and change patterns that no longer serve you
·  create more satisfying relationships with yourself and others
·  live a more vital, creative and fulfilling life.

THERAPY SERVICES I OFFER

Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy offers an opportunity to explore your emotions and experiences in a safe and supportive environment, where difficult and painful awarenesses can be faced and worked through. This in-depth work can be transformative- allowing you to understand the meaning of your symptoms; to challenge negative beliefs and patterns; and to think about and tend to your own growth and well-being. Psychotherapy can lead to insights and profound changes resulting in a more meaningful and satisfying life.

The length of treatment may vary. Occasionally short-term supportive therapy may be appropriate to help with specific issues, particularly during stressful decision-making times or life transitions. The work of psychotherapy generally evolves over a longer period of time in order to realize the greatest potential for sustained transformation.

Mindfulness Oriented Psychotherapy
Mindfulness Oriented Psychotherapy refers to psychotherapy informed by the insights of mindfulness. Essentially mindfulness means bringing conscious nonjudging attention to whatever is arising in one’s internal world and external world.  It means being fully aware of what is happening in each moment without any effort to change the experience.  It implies bringing a fresh or “beginners mind” to one’s moment-to-moment, and cultivating an attitude of acceptance.

This orientation is very helpful in psychotherapy as it cultivates a capacity for calmness in the midst of inner or outer turmoil. Since the nature of life is impermanent and change inevitable, discovering how to be present in moment-to-moment awareness provides a valuable tool for remaining centered in the midst of turbulence. Cultivating mindfulness reduces stress and relaxes habitual tensions. It helps foster self-reflection, awareness, emotional equanimity, acceptance, and greater compassion for self and others.

For more information, please see mindfulness.

Mindful Parenting
Having a baby can be a stressful time evoking powerful and complex feelings and experiences. I work with individuals in psychotherapy for issues related to pregnancy,birth and parenting. I also facilitate Listening Mothers groups for new mothers and their babies.

Listening Mothers Groups for Mothers and Infants
Listening Mothers is a program run by professionals who are especially trained in infant social and emotional development. It provides a safe, supportive place to explore the various feelings and experiences that inevitably arise with having a new baby. By attending to the emotional needs of babies and their parents in these first months, you are supported in knowing each other better and building a lasting foundation for happy, healthy, caring families.

Cancer Support
In my practice, I see clients affected by a cancer diagnosis, who are at all stages of treatment or recovery. I work with cancer survivors, caregivers and family members, and all those whose lives are touched by cancer.

I periodically offer a cancer support group, Tending the Inner World of Cancer, open to anyone interested in living well with cancer - patients at any stage of treatment and their families.  MindBody research has shown that sharing feelings, concerns and experiences in a supportive group can enhance healing, lead to a more positive experience of illness, and a more favorable prognosis.

I currently teach mindfulness meditation in cancer support groups for CancerLifeline in Seattle.  For details, please see my Events/Workshops page.

Other Medical Conditions
I also work with clients with other various acute and chronic medical conditions, and those facing life-threatening illness.

Dreamwork
Through becoming more aware of your dreams, recording them, and bringing them to therapy, you tap into a rich source of deep knowing and guidance of great importance in our work together. Throughout history, dreams have been seen as a vital connection to our own psyche and wisdom. The essence of a dream is like a poem- it is grasped intuitively. Its deepest meaning often lies in the impact it has on us.

DreamTending Groups and Workshops
DreamTending is a practical and accessible method of listening deeply to the voices and images of dreams.  To tend a dream is to access the inner knowing that dreams often carry, so revealing new insights and perspectives to the dreamer.

DreamTending Groups and Workshops are offered periodically and are open to anyone interested in learning this method, and in deepening their relationship to their dream life.