Leslie and I attended graduate school together. She’s a wonderful and thoughtful clinician who cares deeply about her patients and the work she does. I highly recommend her!
- Jaclyn Lopez Witmer
What challenges can women’s therapy and counseling bring to the surface?
The challenges women face on a daily basis are as broad and diverse as the women seeking them. Quite simply, the pressures that women face are enormous with increasing demands competing across the realms of career, home, family, and social networks.
In addition to these challenges, or often because of them, some women may feel a loss of identity, which gives birth to struggles with anxiety, depression, motivation, isolation, substance abuse, relationships, weight, helplessness, and worry.
For women seeking therapy and counseling as a way to feel themselves again, the issues we can overcome together are commonly related but not limited to gender stereotyping, sexism/oppression, hormone-related mood changes, fertility and infertility, adoption, and postpartum depression/anxiety, domestic violence, sexual assault, and the adverse identification of how society and the media portray what it means to be a woman.
Why women’s therapy and counseling?
Gender can be a critical determinant of mental health because of the influence it plays in our identity. It drives many aspects of our lives, including how we socialize and adapt in social surroundings. And, it has been linked to issues of power, control, how to use one's voice, and knowing how to obtain goals.
I find that culture places a significant role in shaping how we view ourselves, our world, and others. In every therapy session, I believe it is important to listen closely to your unique story, while being sensitive to the cultural, social, gender, and political context. With this in mind, I am often reminded that we do not exist in a vacuum, and to some degree, we are products of our environment and the lessons that our culture and society teach us. Therefore, my approach to therapy is to help you find ways to overcome limitations and restrictions, so you feel empowered. In our time together, we’ll explore: gender roles, socializations, identity and self-concept.
If you are part of a targeted group, and have faced any form of oppression or marginalization due to identifying as a person of color, a member within the LGBTQI community, a person with a developmental/emotional/physical difficulty, someone who identifies as gender non-conforming/gender expansive, or an individual with multicultural roots, you may benefit from this perspective. My goal is to provide you with a helpful, supportive, and transformational experience that leaves you with confidence, empowerment, and ultimately a feeling of peace that’s rooted in the strongest version of your true self.
Women’s therapy and counseling can help you find answers to:
- Relationship difficulties
- Motherhood concerns (e.g., parenting, infertility, childbirth, postpartum depression, & miscarriage)
- Effective communication strategies with your partner, children, family, and co-workers
- Low self-esteem
- Concerns related to body image and eating
- Career stressors
- Intimacy concerns
- How significant life experiences impact the way you view yourself, others, and how you navigate the world
- Better identifying your strengths, and developing greater confidence in maintaining your boundaries with others
- Sexual identity exploration
- Identifying your values, and learn to be more effective in asking for what you need within your relationships
- Identifying parenting strategies
- How to better connect and understand your child
- Identifying how to deal with grief & loss (e.g., divorce, separation, death, chronic illness, a child’s growing independence, and a child’s transition out of the home)
- Better understanding how hormonal imbalances can impact mood, ability to manage stress, and competing roles
- Identifying the influence of menopause & aging on emotional health
- Managing stress, while balancing competing social roles (e.g., partner, caretaker, nurturer, professional, friend, daughter, & sibling, co-worker, & director)
Helpful links for learning more about women's therapy and counseling
Move towards uncovering your strongest self.
