Psychotherapy with Margaret Howard |
Make an appointment by email or phone! margaret@thewildtherapist.com 314-225-6128 |
"When you really pay attention, everything is your teacher." ~Ezra Bayda
Psychotherapy can help you access your deepest, truest self, find your life's purpose, and learn how to live from that. Dwelling in the world is possible and pleasurable even without compromising your beautiful, wild nature. Whether your wildness is quiet or loud, loves seclusion or loves the limelight, I am here to help you find and embrace it through helping you through gently discharging the remainders of past difficult experiences, current anxiety, or trauma; through mindfulness, dream work, art, play. My unique combination of Somatic Experiencing and Depth Psychology can guide you to reunite your brain and body, and open your conscious mind to the wisdom of your unconscious.
My office. The sacred space of therapy.
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What
Everything we do in therapy occurs inside a trauma-sensitive framework. This is different than just talking about issues and experiences with friends and family, as is found in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is not my orientation. Training in psychology teaches many things about how humans are constructed and how we express ourselves that the lay person simply is not trained to know. One of those things is that there must be a very safe, contained space available for a person to find their truth, speak it, and to heal. Also, our truth often hides out under years of conditioning, rejection, fear, or trauma, and it is the job of the therapist and the person together to recognize the sparks of real truth that emerge during the therapeutic process and move toward, rather than away from them. Family and friends often, even with good intention, have their own reasons for not wanting to see the real truth. The therapist does not have that pre-existing prejudice. I can meet you as you are, and together we can find the light of truth and your own, internal wisdom.
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Is
I welcome persons from all sexual orientations, sex and gender identifications, abilities, religions or no religions, races, and ethnicities. Engaging in psychotherapy is about learning to access your deepest, truest self, and practicing how to live from that. Functioning at your highest potential is finding that balance where dwelling in the world is possible and pleasurable without compromising your beautiful, wild nature. Whether your wildness is quiet or loud, loves seclusion or loves the limelight, I am here to help you find and embrace it through mindfulness, dream work, art, play, writing, and somatic techniques that help reunite your brain and your body, and open your conscious mind to the wisdom of your unconscious. About religion: This is not religious-oriented counseling. This is secular therapy. While I consider myself "spiritual, not religious," and some of my techniques come out of philosophical and religious traditions -- such as mindfulness techniques and some dream work -- I don't think of them a religious. There is no "worship" involved, no "faith" needed, and we can even skip that part if you are not into it. I understand that a lot of people have been hurt by organized religions and supposed spiritual leaders. I work to be very sensitive to that. I also recognize that religion can be very meaningful and helpful to some people, and that a lot of good has been created by aspects of religion and religious orders and persons (e.g., radical Catholic nuns, H.H. The Dalai Lama) working for peace and justice in the world. |
Psychotherapy?
All clinicians work from their particular perspectives and philosophies, coming out of their training and beliefs. In my own experience in therapeutic work (where I was the client, and where I was the therapist) I've found that the fit between therapist and client is very important. And I would never go to a therapist who has never been in long-term therapy. It's good to shop around and find the therapist who fits what you're trying to do, who you feel comfortable with. There is a thing about resonance that's important. So here I am telling you about my perspective and philosophy. That's what you'll find in these pages. I do offer a low-cost initial interview to see if we think we'll be a good therapeutic fit. Me:
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