Integrative Therapy for Women in Hickory, NC
When insight isn’t enough, let’s look at what’s underneath. For women who understand their patterns but still find themselves stuck in them.
Looking Beyond Symptoms
Many of my clients come to therapy already knowing what isn’t working. They can see the patterns, understand where some of them come from, and still feel stuck when it comes to actually changing them. Others know something feels off but haven’t quite connected all the dots yet. Both are looking for help making sense of what keeps getting in the way.
On the surface, it may look like anxiety, burnout, perfectionism, people-pleasing, emotional overwhelm, or even depression. But those may be clues—not the whole story. Together, we’ll get curious about what’s underneath and what may be keeping the cycle going.
I take an integrative, holistic approach because no one piece tells me enough about you. A screening measure is one piece. Labs are another. And being able to keep functioning doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing okay. We’ll put the pieces together—what’s happening in your body, your relationships, your nervous system, how your brain works, what you’re carrying, and what’s happening in your life—to get a clearer picture of what’s actually going on.
The things you’re struggling with didn’t come out of nowhere. Many of these patterns helped you stay safe, connected, needed, or keep things moving at some point in your life. Wounds and trauma aren’t just what happens to you it’s what didn’t happen for you. We’ll get curious about why they’re still showing up—and what they may be trying to do for you now.
How I can help
We’ll connect the dots before deciding what comes next.
Let’s do more than manage what’s showing up on the surface.
Coping skills have their place. But if you’re using them over and over just to make anxiety, overwhelm, or burnout more tolerable, we’re missing something.
I want to understand what’s driving the symptoms in the first place. Sometimes that means looking at old wounds or protective parts that still believe overfunctioning, perfectionism, or keeping everyone happy is necessary. Sometimes ADHD, hormones, chronic stress, sleep, or health are adding fuel to the fire. Often, it’s more than one thing.
That’s why nothing about our work is cookie-cutter. We may use IFS, ACT, Brainspotting, Flash, DBT skills, or simply slow down and pay attention to what happens inside you when you try to do something differently.
Nothing about our work is cookie-cutter. Depending on what you need, we may use parts work/IFS, ACT, Brainspotting, Flash, DBT skills, somatic experiencing, yoga, meditation, dance/movement, inner child work, or other experiential approaches to help us work with what’s underneath—not just talk about it. The goal is to heal what’s driving the cycle so the tools and skills you already have can actually work when you need them.
How We’ll Approach the Work…
Understanding the Protective Patterns
Many of the things you’re struggling with didn’t start as problems. Perfectionism, people-pleasing, overfunctioning, shutting down, or staying three steps ahead may have helped you feel safe, connected, needed, or in control. It feels familiar and therefore safe bet.
Instead of trying to get rid of those patterns, we’ll get curious about the parts of you that still rely on them—and what they may need before they’re ready to soften.
Building Safety & Emotional Capacity
Asking for or accepting help may feel unfamiliar. You’ve probably spent years being praised for how much you can handle. Being capable, independent, and the one who keeps everything moving can become a badge of honor. So needing someone else can feel like being weak, incapable, or dependent—even when you know better logically.
That’s part of the work, too. We’ll take small steps toward letting other people show up for you, tolerating the discomfort that comes with doing things differently, and learning that putting some of the weight down doesn’t make you any less capable.
The goal isn’t to make you less independent. It’s to help you stop measuring your strength by how much you can carry alone.
Healing What Still Feels Stuck
Old wounds can show up as autopilot patterns that feel as familiar as a well-worn T-shirt. You may know exactly where they came from and still find yourself slipping right back into them when something gets triggered. Research shows many of wounds and painful experiences happen before we can even talk! They are held in time capsules in our implicit memory which is why talk thereapy can’t touch it and thus heal it.
When the stakes are low, sure, surface-level tools may work. But when guilt is crushing, your nervous system is on high alert, or something important is on the line, knowing the tool and being able to use it are two very different things.
When it fits, we may use Brainspotting, Flash, or other experiential approaches to work with what talking alone hasn’t been able to reach—so familiar doesn’t always have to mean automatic.
Creating a Life That Feels Sustainable
A sustainable life looks like accepting respite when you’re caring for an aging parent instead of convincing yourself you should be able to handle it all. It might mean having a clear repayment agreement before lending money to someone you love, protecting time that belongs only to you, or saying no to something that would rob you of your greater “yes.”
The goal isn’t to stop being generous, dependable, or caring. It’s to build a life where being there for everyone else no longer requires disappearing from your own.
Therapy with me is…
Guided by your unique story and hopes
Looking at the whole picture, not just symptoms
Getting curious about what’s driving the cycle
Using the approach that fits you—not the other way around
Neurodiversity-affirming and adapted to how your brain works. I’m neurospicy too!
Therapy with me is not…
A diagnosis dictating your treatment
A cookie-cutter treatment plan
Just talking, venting, or gaining more insight-passive coffee conversation
Learning more coping skills to tolerate misery
Expecting a neurodivergent brain to thrive with tools designed for neurotypical minds
YOU DON'T HAVE TO FIGURE THIS OUT ALONE.