Individual therapy process
The initial session:
The initial session can be a free 15 minute consultation, or a full 60 minute session, whatever feels right for you. If you would like to check the therapeutic fit before going deeper, a consultation is recommended. If you are comfortable exploring more in depth, a full session will give us more time and give you a fuller sense of the process.
We build safety and trust in our therapeutic relationship together by going at your pace, exploring what you want to talk about. You can always expect us to be compassionate, non-judgemental, and patient.
We discuss some of the goals you have for therapy and how we can be of support. Therapy works best when you have a sense of what changes you want to see and you’re motivated to do inner work. We’ll identify some pieces to start working on and caring for together.
Our approach is always collaborative, and feedback is encouraged so that we can tailor the process to meet your unique needs. If something resonates with you, please tell us! If something doesn’t work, let us know! We’re always striving to attune to you - that’s the core of our work.
The deep work phase
Sessions are usually spaced out 1-3 weeks for 60 min sessions at the beginning. We always check in at the beginning of each session with what you want to talk about or work on; however we may offer direction as well, especially if you would like that. We listen deeply and we make gentle suggestions to guide the process as we explore together.
We ask questions to help us go deeper and build understanding and context. We explore current and past experiences, and how they connect. We talk about how your history has shaped you, what’s impacting you now, and what you want to move towards.
We talk about what wellness would look like and feel like for you, and find practices to nurture well being.
We process and care for emotions - what you’re feeling and what these feelings are telling you about your needs.
We care for your mind through cultivating wholesome (such as compassion and curiosity) rather than harmful (such as judgement or aversion) states of mind. We also explore and transform negative or limiting beliefs about yourself and others that may be holding you back in life.
We do “parts work” to understand and heal different parts of your psyche that may be stuck or burdened by traumatic feelings and beliefs (Inner Critic Part, Not Good Enough Part, Unworthiness Part, etc.) We identify and care for any Inner Child parts that need healing and growth.
We care for the body by listening to it and understanding what it needs for care. We regulate your nervous system - we do somatic work to bring the body out of any fight, flight or freeze patterns and back into equilibrium. We identify, care for and release old trauma in a safe way.
We encourage and support you to move you towards your goals by giving gentle guidance and developmental assists when we see stuck areas that may need to be moved through.
We help you navigate the current relationships you have in your life; help you solve relationship issues; and help you gain skillfulness and tools to build the relationships you want.
We frequently review our process and see if we need to pivot or change approaches. It’s common that we may need to try a few different modalities to see what works best for you.
The maintenance phase
After we’re seeing traction with the healing and growth you want, ongoing maintenance sessions are encouraged every 6-8 weeks. Clients usually use maintenance sessions in one of two ways:
1) To keep growing and learning and move towards thriving! Ongoing support can take on a mentoring/coaching format: to get clarity on what you want in the future, and get support and strategies to actualize your dreams.
2) To check in, have a safe space to process, and stay on top of your mental and emotional health.
Individual therapy rates
60 min: $180
Lauren offers free 15 minute consultations. Click here to book.