Individual Therapy

There is hope for you if you struggle with depression. You do not need to remain isolated. Together we’ll explore what is underlying your depression. We’ll look at the pattern of thoughts and behaviors that have become fixed in your worldview. Replacing the automatic thinking and the negative thoughts with more positive, realistic thoughts will allow you to take control of your life. If necessary, we may discuss whether taking anti-depressant medication is an option for you. You’ll learn to trust your view of yourself and how you function in the world around you with joy and hopefulness.

Developing a framework to help you understand why you react to certain situations with anxiety is important in helping you to take control of your life. As we explore the patterns that you have been acting out for many years you’ll begin to develop new ways to keep the behaviors in check that feed these states of mind. Becoming aware of the physiological sensations of anxiety will empower you to begin to change your thoughts before you get caught in an old behavior cycle. Using both Cognitive Behavioral and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) techniques I can help you to live a life that is not devastated by anxiety. There can be relief from anxiety!

Grief is an inevitable part of life. We experience grief when we transition from one state to another. We most often think of grief in relation to the death of a loved one, but grief is felt when there are all sorts of changes in our lives (ie: the birth of a child or the loss of a job). There is the reality of a permanent ending, and we mourn the loss (moving from being employed to not or moving from being “carefree” to being responsible for a child). Death brings a particular kind of grief.

We may experience pain, numbness, frustration and guilt around this death. You’ll cycle through the 5 stages of grief- denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These stages are not finite, and we do not move through them sequentially.  It can be disquieting to move back and forth between these states of emotion.  This is the way that our mind is working to make sense of what we have experienced. It is neither right nor wrong to move through the stages in what appears to be an erratic way. Ultimately, you are working toward understanding and accepting the New Normal that has been established.

The answer depends on the specific issues that you bring into therapy and how deeply entrenched they are.  Generally, it takes 3-4 months to understand the dynamics that contribute to your upsets. Since relationships are between 2 people we need to explore your side of the dynamic. Please understand this is not about blame.  Discovering new ways of understanding your patterns and reactions in relation to the other person will move therapy along more quickly. Breaking negative communication and reactive cycles takes time but you will likely experience a calming of tensions after a few sessions. 

Please be aware that if there you have experienced any sort of trauma the work needs to move more slowly.  Trauma can be from the past or something that has just occurred to upset the sense of connectedness and safety in your life.  Trauma is a silent trigger that can start a couple off on a negative pattern or feedback loop.

Individual counseling sessions are 55-minutes. If requested, we can do extended sessions of 90-minutes to give us time to delve more deeply into a particular issue.

It’s advisable to meet weekly in the beginning so that some momentum can be built.  We are working to stem the backwards slide into old patterns that can sometimes happen between sessions.  We can discuss whether it seems advisable to meet less frequently as trust and connection build without slowing the progress that has been made.

Prior to coming in for your first session you will fill out an intake form and an information and consent form.

*Please note that I cannot begin therapy unless I have received a signed information and consent form.

I begin by having you tell me why you are coming for therapy and what your goals are.   I will work to get a sense of your background as well as a bit about your family. I believe that it is important to understand when these issues first presented.  Often, we develop behaviors that help us get along in our family of origin.  While these behaviors may be productive when we are children, they may become dysfunctional when we are adults.   We will not do a very deep dive into your family but just enough to understand how your behaviors began.  It generally takes several sessions before there is a rhythm to our work and a sense of safety and structure.

Fees will be discussed in our initial phone consultation.  Payment is due at each session and can be paid by Zelle.  You can use my email catherine@catherine-morris.com or my phone # 650 269-8745 to set this up.

I don’t take insurance, and your insurance company will consider me “out-of-network”. I will supply you with a super bill that includes the codes necessary for your claim to be processed. Please check with your insurance provider to see what is covered under your mental health benefits for individual therapy.