The Five Pillars Of Presence Perinatal Therapy

There are probably millions of types of psychotherapy out there and it can get really confusing trying to figure out what type of therapy an actual therapist or therapy practice offers. This is my attempt to boil down what I do and where I focus while providing psychotherapy.

I focus on 5 main areas that I believe offer the most healing possibilities for people. These are: Mindfulness, psychological flexibility, purpose, authenticity, and healing relationship. Let's break them down.

Mindfulness: I firmly believe that mindfulness is one of the most helpful teachings for human beings. Most of our issues stem from being unmindful, disconnected/disassociated, unaware, etc. It is only when we are able to fully show up to our lives that we get to actually live them. And we are only here for a short time so if we don't pay attention, we could miss it!

Psychological flexibility: This is the ultimate goal of therapy; to be able to entertain a thought without believing it; to be able to ride the waves of our intense emotions with grace and understanding. Psychological flexibility is gained through practice and hard work via therapy and compassionate self-inquiry. With more psychological agility, you can increase your ability to jump over life's hurdles with more ease.

Authenticity: I remember reading When The Body Says No by Gabor Mate (excellent book, highly recommend!) and the message of the book stopped me dead in my tracks. Authenticity is not a luxury, it is a necessity. We all need the capacity to be authentically and unapologetically ourselves. We need to be able to take up space and accept ourselves for the imperfect humans that we are. We need to be able to reject abusive behavior and mistreatment. We need to be able to express healthy anger.

Healing relationship: This is what I strive to create as a therapist. I try to create a healing space and relationship where my clients can learn what a compassionate and nonjudgmental relationship feels like. Via the therapeutic relationship, attachment healing can take place.

Purpose: Meaning and purpose are what make life worth living. When we lose our meaning and purpose, life can be dull, depressing, and pointless. As an existential therapist, I encourage my clients to use their free will to create a life of meaning and/or to find meaning in their current life.

I pull from a variety of therapeutic modalities but my main focus is to use these five pillars to help my clients achieve their highest potential.