Angie Harris

I am trained in support the unique needs of women across the lifespan. I have worked with teen girls on aspects of their self-esteem, developing healthy relationship with others, school-related stress. I have worked with young adults to prepare emotionally for college, navigating intimate adult relationships and adjusting to taking on new roles. I support issues related to maternal mental health such as infertility, loss, birth trauma, post-partum adjustment including anxiety and depression.

Many people come to me for therapy because they have tried going to meetings or tried other treatment that did not help. Because I am trained in treating the spectrum of Substance Use Disorders, I understand that treatment needs to be adjusted to each person's unique needs and at their own pace. I like to integrate tangible tools such as those from SMART Recovery or Moderation Management for Alcohol Moderation to support recovery and change behaviors. Meeting people where they are is essential.

Almost every in our society struggles with anxiety and stress. Sometimes this is caused by school, work, relationships, and internal pressure to perform. Sometimes it takes more awareness to understand the causes of anxiety. I like helping identify ways to notice their stress, pay attention to their body cues, and use this information to help enhance functioning. I use integrated therapeutic techniques such as mindfulness and Alpha-Stim in session to support stress and anxiety reduction.

Throughout my clinical experience, I have worked with people at various stages of readiness to change. I enjoy helping people identify their own problematic patterns in behavior and letting them come up with their own reasons to make changes. Sometimes this takes building discrepancy in thinking and subsequent behaviors. i have found the most effective and lasting changes comes from within. I use MI to help people with this internal process.

I integrate various aspects of DBT skill building, including distress tolerance and mindfulness, to help with emotional regulation. Part of the therapeutic process is to introduce these concepts, but much of the work is done between sessions. Sometimes this is a whole new way for someone to approach situations, so it takes practice. I help remind people that it takes years for behaviors to become a pattern, so patience is required when trying to create more functional behaviors.

I believe CBT is the most universal form of therapy and can be effectively applied to treating various problems. It helps us understand our automatic thoughts and subsequent behaviors. Once we establishing an awareness of our thoughts and feelings we can work on making changes in these areas to change the behavioral outcome.