A little more space
to be yourself.
When anxiety, shame, or familiar patterns feel exhausting, counseling can help you understand what is happening inside and discover a different way forward.
You can bring
what feels tangled.
You may want help with anxiety, harsh self-criticism, unwanted sexual behaviors, or the effects of painful experiences. Perhaps a part of you wants things to change while another part feels afraid of what change might mean.
We can start with what feels most important to you. You don’t need to explain everything perfectly or feel ready to tell your whole story.
Areas we can explore
- Anxiety, worry, and feeling overwhelmed
- Shame and self-criticism
- Trauma and relational wounds
- Unwanted or compulsive sexual behaviors
- Conflicting needs, boundaries, and patterns that keep repeating
Understanding your parts.
Connecting with Self.
IFS offers a way to understand the different parts of you, including those that work hard to prevent pain, those that react when things feel overwhelming, and those carrying hurt. We get curious about their protective intentions and what they need.
I help you access more Self by slowing the pace and making room to notice your inner experience. We work with your parts so you can relate to them with greater compassion.
Listen within
We may notice a thought, an emotion, or a sensation in your body and gently explore the part of you connected with it.
Find a little distance
With respect for protective parts, we look for enough room to feel present with an experience without being completely taken over by it.
Meet yourself with care
From a steadier place, we listen to what a part fears or carries. We move at a pace your system can tolerate and build trust over time.
More access to the
8 C’s of Self.
In IFS, Self is recognized through eight qualities. We look for small moments of these qualities as we work together. They are possibilities to experience, rather than a checklist you have to master.
Calm
Enough steadiness to pause, even when difficult feelings are present.
Curiosity
An open interest in what you feel and what a part of you needs.
Compassion
Meeting pain with kindness, including the parts you find hard to accept.
Clarity
Seeing a situation with more perspective and less inner confusion.
Confidence
A grounded trust that you can meet what comes, one step at a time.
Courage
Willingness to approach hard feelings while respecting your limits.
Creativity
Finding new possibilities when familiar responses leave you stuck.
Connectedness
Feeling more present with yourself, other people, and what matters to you.
Choice
IFS trainer Cece Sykes adds Choice as a ninth C. As you have more space around a familiar reaction, you may find more freedom to decide how to respond. Choice can mean pausing, setting a boundary, asking for support, or taking a small step that fits your values.
The eight C’s come from the IFS model. “Choice” is an additional teaching from Cece Sykes, who discusses it in this conversation about IFS and choice.
Making room for
faith and healing.
I understand Self as the version of us made in God’s image.
When clients want to integrate Christian faith, I connect the IFS understanding of Self with imago Dei, the biblical understanding that we are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). In this Christian framing, the compassion, courage, and connection we experience in Self reflect something of our God-given capacity to love and relate.
We can bring prayer, Scripture, or reflection into our work if those practices are meaningful to you. We can also make room for parts that feel angry with God, spiritually weary, ashamed, or uncertain.
All of your parts deserve care. We listen to the ways they have tried to protect you, including the parts that struggle with faith. Your beliefs and preferences guide whether and how faith is included.
You do not need to share my Christian faith to work with me.
For therapists: download the Christian faith-based meditation.
Getting started.
Sessions are offered on a private-pay basis at $125 per session. While I don’t bill insurance, I accept all credit cards, cash, checks, and HSA/FSA payments.
In-person counseling: 8650 Minnie Brown Rd, Suite 160, Montgomery, AL 36117.
Telehealth available throughout Alabama.
A free first conversation
A 15-minute phone consultation gives us a chance to talk about what you’re looking for, answer your questions, and consider whether working together feels right.