Approach

As a clinician, Whitney alternates between approaches during the course of therapy to best meet clients where they are. Below are some of her most common approaches.

Person-Centered

Person centered therapy means that the therapist will hold space for you without judgment or their own agenda. Whitney believes that every person has the ability to reach their potential through personal growth and change. This process is also called self-actualization. The ability to self-actualize derives from someone’s capacity to understand themselves, and out of that understanding, develop new attitudes and behaviors.

Trauma-Informed

Trauma-informed care means that the physical and mental effects of trauma are always considered in the process of healing. There are five principles of trauma-informed care that will guide sessions:

  1. Safety (both physical and emotional)

  2. Trustworthiness

  3. Choice

  4. Collaboration (Inclusiveness for everyone without discrimination)

  5. Empowerment

EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a trauma-informed somatic treatment developed to help people with PTSD, anxiety, depression, and more. Due to the stress hormones that flood our system during traumatic and distressing events, the memory of the event becomes stored incorrectly in our brains. This is why experiencing a traumatic memory can make us feel overwhelmed physically and emotionally, as if the event is still occurring or stuck inside of us. Living with these feelings and symptoms like nightmares and flashbacks can make it difficult for us to feel safe and be present in our lives. EMDR helps people access and re-process these memories in a safe way by engaging the body’s natural healing processes. As the memories are reintegrated in our brain, we are able to experience relief from intense physical and emotional responses.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

By examining our thought patterns, we can better understand the influence our thoughts have on our feelings and our behavior. Typically, the ways we think and respond have to do with the way we have learned to protect ourselves in the past. It is immensely helpful to slow down this cycle of thoughts, feelings, and actions so that we can slowly re-create a more helpful cognitive response process.

Internal Family Systems

IFS therapy is an evidence-based form of psychotherapy based upon the idea that every person has multiple sub-personalities which can take over in stressful situations and can distance us from our true Self nature. In IFS, we identify and accept the different parts of us and begin to heal the parts that are wounded. This can lead to personal growth and more useful behavior patterns.

Existential Therapy

Existential therapy allows us to focus on the meaning and purpose we attach to our lives. When we go through something that causes us to question our life’s meaning, we can experience intense fear or dread. This reaction is sometimes called an ‘existential crisis.’ In this therapy, you can find new meaning by considering what is important to you, what works or does not work for you, and what your values are. Existential therapy helps you discover your “why” and can give you a sense of purpose to live more authentically and optimistically.

Psychodynamic

Psychodynamic therapy explores the connection between your past experiences, often from childhood, and your current mindset. It focuses less on quick symptom relief, and more on the roots of emotional suffering. Through self-reflection and self-examination, you will increase your understanding of old patterns and build healthier, newer ways of living and building relationships.