Me - Santa Monica Counseling

Me.

Tend to your inner needs

You may be thinking...

"I want to feel more confident"
"I want to feel more in control of my moods"
"I want to find acceptance in the limits of my health"

In the Me.She.We approach, “Me” focuses on themes of your inner needs. By first addressing your inner needs it sets you up for success in other aspects of your life and relationships.

SELF ESTEEM | SPIRITUALITY

Self-esteem is a foundation on which we measure our value, worth and deservedness. Often our confidence can be undermined by past experiences that leave us with self-limiting beliefs. By observing and evaluating our current thoughts/behaviors we can assess where adjustments need to be made to our self-talk and internal/external boundaries to grow our self-esteem.

Spiritual wellness is the recognition that we are a part of something greater than ourselves. Spiritual awareness can help temper feelings of isolation and deepen your sense of belonging and purpose.

CHILDHOOD TRAUMA | PTSD

Trauma is often thought of as a severe, frightening or dangerous situation but it can also occur from more subtle experiences that can rattle our nervous system. Sometimes our response to trauma is milder: anxiety, body pain, shame, reactivity in relationships etc. When we are less resilient to a particular trauma it can manifest as PTSD in which the symptoms of depression or anxiety can become debilitating to our daily functioning. Every individual is unique and there is no right or wrong way to process our trauma.Childhood trauma can linger undetected for years and dictate the ways we cope with every facet of our day to day life. Using evidence-based trauma techniques we can work to understand the connections our mind and body has to traumatic memories and work to feel safer with ourselves and our relationships.

ANXIETY | DEPRESSION

Anxiety is the mind and body’s reaction natural alarm system to potentially harmful or dangerous situations. Our innate temperament coupled with certain life experiences can result in our stress response being disproportionate to our present life situation. Mindfulness and psychodynamic therapy can help us understand when it is safe to practice letting our guard down.

Depression can often be the result of unprocessed experiences and the brain’s natural tendency to want to numb deep emotional pain. Depression can show up as gnawing feelings of sadness, lack of motivation and hopelessness. Psychodynamic and CBT/DBT therapy are useful to uncover destructive or negative thinking patterns and help restore a more balanced sense of wellbeing and identity.

INTIMACY | ATTACHMENT

We all develop a particular attachment style as a result of our early family relationships that informs how we relate to friends, family and romantic partners as adults. If we have had early life traumas or negative past relationships, we may develop an anxious or avoidant attachment style which can hinder us from experiencing the intimacy we crave. It is possible to shift our attachment style through therapy and gain a renewed sense of trust in relationships. Working at the root of these themes we can begin to soothe and develop healthier attachment styles that are based on trust and security.

HEALTH | CHRONIC ILLNESS

Managing the day-to-day emotions when living with chronic illness can be disorienting and overwhelming. Receiving therapeutic support can be an extremely important complement to medical treatment to manage our stress, and empower us to advocate our needs better with our medical providers.

Re-narrating our sense of identity and purpose beyond the framework of health diagnosis or chronic illness allows for the possibility to grow beyond what we thought was ever possible despite physical or health limitations.

Teletherapy appointments are available to meet social distancing requirements because of COVID-19.