Marin Individual Therapy (Larkspur)

Marin Individual Therapy (Larkspur) 

Your emotional health is an integral aspect of how you function individually and in your relationships.  There are many obstacles that can prevent people from being as happy or as fulfilled as they’d like to be, whether it be life stressors, anxiety, depression  or  complicated family of origin histories leaving an imprint on how you see yourself, others and the world. Friends and family can be helpful but you might need a bit more.

If you are here, something isn’t working for you and you feel stuck in some way.  You might have a very specific issue or perhaps it’s less clear.  Perhaps you have a sense there might be some connection to your past and you’re ready to do some exploring to finally make deeper level changes.     I’m happy to help.

I view people as a mosaic of sorts; a compilation of historical experiences, personality traits, present circumstances and the unique ways they cope with their challenges.  Some come to individual therapy/counseling with clarity around what’s holding them back from optimal functioning.  Others aren’t really sure what’s going on with them other than knowing they would really like to feel better emotionally and possibly in their relationships.  The two can be deeply connected.

The currently offer following areas of focus in my Marin individual therapy practice:

• Family of origin work
• Stress / Anxiety
• Self-Esteem 
• Sadness / Depression
• Codependence
• Excessive Anger  
• Perfectionism / Type A
• Relationships
• Life Transitions 

My therapy/counseling approach is about meeting people where they are.  There are some basic steps I find helpful to getting you where we need to be.  You need to be able to identify the issues.  This is not always clear.  We will get clarity on the problems you  are having and what you are hoping to change.

The next step is to understand why the challenges exist.  This can be straight forward or more complex depending on many things, including whether family of origin or other prior experiences are complicating the issue.  We will examine your core belief systems and how they impact you.  If your concerns are clearly now-focused, such as a difficult relationship problem you need guidance on or stress around a current life situation, we can look at it together.

The final step is resolution of your concerns.  I always aim for deeper level change over a bandaid approach, if possible.  I want to empower you to do things differently with a new way of seeing yourself and  practical tools to implement these changes in your life.

My hope for you is to be in the world with increased resilience, positive self regard, improved coping mechanisms and no longer behaving in ways that don’t serve you.

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserves your love and affection.” – Buddha

A bit about Family of Origin Work:

If you are aware that your challenges are rooted in childhood experiences from parental relationships, attachment deficiencies, social or school experiences or other, we will look deeply into this to understand how you coped and adapted to those experiences at that time.  Often times there is a connection to how  you currently function.

• Did you feel emotionally safe (and physically safe) growing up?
• Did you experience criticism and have high expectations placed on you?
• Did you learn from experience that people can’t be trusted?
• Did you hear messages that either overtly or covertly indicated you weren’t good enough?

I believe that emotional and relationship health are deeply intertwined.  If you also struggle in your relationships, it’s vital to be able to hold a mirror up to yourself and honestly assess what you bring into the dynamic that doesn’t serve well.  A poor sense of self, mistrust or other old holdovers can present themselves in the relationship realm too.  Learn more about  this process in my article, What is Family of Origin Work? on my other site, LoveAndLifeToolbox.com.

My clients are men and women of all ages.  People have said they find me direct, relatable and down to earth.  Because of the importance of therapist – client relationship, authenticity and human connection is important to me too.  This can be deep work and possibly emotional at times.  I am always humbled by what people bring in and their strength to overcome adversity.

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I’m ready! I’d like to inquire about getting started.

SCHEDULE AN INDIVIDUAL THERAPY SESSION WITH LISA

Not quite ready for therapy?  

If you’re curious about learning more about the role of your family of origin on your functioning, this might be a good starting point.

Family of Origin Work:  Untangle Your Unhealthy Roots

Available for purchase on my other website, LoveAndLifeToolbox.com.