Deb Sternke LMHCA

Francis Weller, a psychotherapist, states that to heal, grief must be witnessed; it cannot heal on its own; we must share it. When we lack space to share our grief, we are forced to carry it alone, and, becoming like an injury whose scab is forced to close over too early, we risk infection. We will work together to name your grief and loss, hold it with compassion, and together walk towards healing.

In life, we are wounded by the bad things that happen to us, but also by the good things that didn't happen. And like a broken bone that doesn’t heal correctly; outside, we might look fine, but inside, the bone is in pieces, causing fragmentation, irritation, and pain. When we move from asking 'What's wrong with you?' to 'What happened to you?', we can reclaim the parts of ourselves we had to give up to survive. We'll look with compassionate curiosity at the places you felt alone & find healing.

I know first-hand what it's like to live with anxiety. Our anxious parts can be loud, but often simply need space to feel seen and heard. We can explore this part more, name when it arrived on the scene, what its role is, and what it needs to feel safe enough to soften. Because the therapeutic bond is one of the most important factors in that change, I work hard to cultivate a warm, safe, and welcoming environment from our very first conversation.

My approach blends trauma-informed, IFS-informed, and somatic care to help you move from fragmentation toward a grounded, Self-led sense of who you are. I’m not here as the expert on your life — you are. I’m a fellow traveler, walking alongside you with compassionate curiosity as we explore your story, your patterns, and the path toward lasting change.

Our earliest attachments to our caregivers deeply impact how we show up in the world. Our future relationships and connection with others can be helped or hindered by how we were formed. My role is to offer perspective, ask insightful questions, and introduce practices that illuminate where you are and where you want to go. My framework incorporates mind-body awareness, somatic grounding, and mindfulness-based practices, all rooted in compassionate curiosity.

Our emotions are crucial guides in our lives that give us important information about the world we experience. Rather than focusing solely on top-down thinking, our work combines thoughtful conversation with emotion-focused and somatic awareness to help you tune in to your nervous system, build self-compassion, and reconnect with your innate clarity. By understanding how daily stressors, culture, and life transitions impact you, we can develop practical tools to help build resilience.