Jeanie Shade (she/her)

I enjoy helping people understand relationship dynamics. If you are thinking of couples' counseling, but your partner is not ready yet, then consider working with me to explore both your healthy and unhealthy dynamics, as well as your partner's. I work from the 1960s model called the Drama Triangle. It is composed of the victim, bully, and rescuer viewpoints, with the key to getting out of the Drama triangle being to take the just right amount of responsibility for the situation at hand.

In my experience, depression symptoms often occur in people when they are not balanced or expressing sadness and anger. Anger is often a mixture of anger towards yourself, as well as anger towards life and others. Reengaging with your feelings, even though it is messy, is a key to feeling alive again. Depression has some to do with negative self-talk and negative worldview. But it also has to do with shutting down your Heart. Let's explore why you may have done so.

Anxiety is often a tricky emotion to deal with given its roots in our biology and need for survival. I will help you to sort out what is normal and necessary anxiety and what is excessive. Excessive anxiety often comes from a place of "shoulds" and disempowering yourself to others. It also comes from trying to fix all the needs you see around you and not paying attention to your own needs. I can help you to find a better balance between the importance of your Self and Others.

Many of you have heard of or read "The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel Van der Kolk. Our bodies are a wealth of information about how we store information from the past and how we utilize this information in the present. I will teach you how to "read" your body and understand what it is saying, as well as teach you some techniques to change unhealthy patterns in the body.

Awareness is key! In my experience, becoming aware of something, such as a negative thought, a negative judgment, or a limiting belief about yourself, or how you habitually hold your body creating the same emotion again and again, is always the first step to deeper understanding of yourself. From this awareness, followed by knowledge, you can then begin to make changes that you want, rather than repeating the past.

"What you resist persists". This is a wise quote. Often we come across the idea to "just think more positively!". However, if this creates resistance, such as a refusal to look at certain "negative" parts of yourself, then the interplay of the polarities will continue in your life, sometimes even amplified. The main point of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is to notice your thoughts and emotions without judgment, which leads to more understanding and less resistance in your life.