Hi, my name is River! I am a therapist, and I’m passionate about working with people who have been impacted by trauma. I believe that our bodies and minds have innate wisdom and flexibility. When we are exposed to hardships we adapt to keep ourselves safe from danger. This may look like shutting down our emotions to cope, looking for warning signs everywhere we go, or being hesitant to trust those closest to us. These responses can become second nature, and we sometimes keep using them even after the danger is gone. In cases like these, the behaviors that once protected us can start to cause pain instead.
This does not mean that we are broken. It just means that the things that used to keep us safe are no longer serving us. We may want to find new ways of being in the world that work for us now, in the present moment. When it comes to our work together, I don’t believe that I have the answers about what those new ways of being should look like.
My goal is to help create a space where you feel safe enough to bring your whole self, to explore what it means to be authentically you. I use approaches including Internal Family Systems Therapy, Expressive Arts Therapy, Sandtray Therapy, and Relational Cultural Therapy to support you in identifying what you want and need to build a fulfilling life.