Building Self Esteem and Confidence

Do you find it hard to be authentic around friends, family or colleagues? Do you feel inadequate, or unable to socialize as seen by social media or by interactions around you? Maybe you don’t feel that you measure up to the expectations set by loved ones. Negative beliefs about yourself can directly impact your view of the world and how you show up in the relationships you value. If you’re lacking self-confidence, you may have a difficult time making everyday decisions, and find that you frequently second-guess your own intuition.

I offer a nonjudgmental, unbiased and warm place for you to be curious and explore what’s holding you back from feeling comfortable and present. Working through self-esteem and self-confidence challenges begins with identifying the areas in your life that you would like to change, in order to empower yourself to have the life that you deserve. My style relies upon working collaboratively with you, while incorporating a therapeutic approach to insight (IOT), supplemented with cognitive behavioral therapy tools (CBT), as well as skills and techniques of mindfulness. Self esteem is one of the major factors that determine how you make decisions, set goals, and influence the state of our overall well-being. A healthy level of self-esteem and confidence will help you to be more decisive, set goals, and can influence motivation and how you choose to view your potential, which is crucial to your day-to-day well-being. 

Difficulty adjusting to change and life transitions

In life, change and transitions are a given. If you’ve experienced a sudden change - a breakup, the loss of a relationship, a job, for example - it can be a shock to the system and feel traumatic, producing extreme stress or anxiety and can feel overwhelming emotionally and physically. In these times, I believe it’s crucial to remain grounded and move through the face of adversity with acceptance. The feeling of “stuckness” can become a toxic cycle, affecting our mood and continuing to perpetuate the experience of not being able to move forward to begin healing and adapting to change.

I will work with you to determine where you may need new perspectives or tools to work with greater ease through these moments. The shock of unplanned changes has an impact on the mind as well as your body, and we can work to make conscious of how your body responds to what has felt like a threat. After being able to identify what your body’s natural reaction is to protect you, we will explore options that can be helpful to you and necessary for move forward again. In addition to combining insight-oriented therapy (IOT) with a somatic (the body) focused approach, I may introduce cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) tools you can use to help with strengthening positive thoughts and behavior change. In the overall process of our work, I will assist you to foster your own growth in a safe environment, allowing you to feel held and supported when navigating unsteady and traumatic events. 

Help with forming close relationships or connecting with an intimate partner

Are you struggling to connect with your partner, finding it hard to listen to them, to share your feelings and be heard? Are these types of challenges showing up in other relationships with friends or at work? You’re hardly alone. When these challenges threaten the present and future of the relationships you care about, looking for help is a healthy first step. Effectively communicating your thoughts and feelings and developing the capacity to listen can be learned. When life events cause hardship and confusion within a relationship, partners will naturally move to protect themselves, showing up as being defensive, argumentative or perhaps just shutting down, each reaction causing emotional and physical distance.

I bring an insight-oriented approach into our work together to help you learn how to repair and heal from ruptures in your relationships. Together, we will look into what is causal to the way you respond to interpersonal conflicts, sometimes coming directly from what you experienced as a child. Understanding how and why you relate to the world the way that you do is where the possibility for change begins, and can be one of the most rewarding experiences of life. When you become aware of how you show up in relationships, you are given the power and knowledge to be able to soften your defenses and hold yourself accountable for your part. The outcome of developing your own authenticity and listening skills can translate into being a better romantic partner, a better parent, or a better boss in the workforce.