Lea Otero (she/her)

Anxiety can show up in so many ways. It can also be so powerful that it profoundly affects our lives. Often times, anxiety is our internal wisdom telling us that something is off. Though it's not easy, it is absolutely possible to develop the understanding, skills, and awareness needed to loosen anxiety's constricting grip and establish inner peace.

PTSD can occur from a single traumatic incident, or from a series of traumatic incidents occurring throughout our lives. The latter is often referred to as complex, or developmental, PTSD (CPTSD). Symptoms from either form of PTSD can be extremely difficult and confusing to manage, and recovery can feel out of reach. Having a safe space to process these incidents and the symptoms they bring about is healing in itself, as is establishing the self-resourcing practices needed to find solid ground.

Person-Centered Therapy means that you lead the way. We will dive into whatever feels alive or relevant for you during any given session. Sometimes we enter therapy with a goal of focusing on one thing or another, and once we start to learn more about ourselves in therapy, those goals may change or shift. Wherever you are on any given day, I will follow your lead and tailor my approach to your in-the-moment needs.

Mindfulness is quite the buzzword these days, and for good reason! When we practice mindfulness, we automatically slow down. When we slow down, we're able to see ourselves and our circumstances from a different point of view. In other words, we're able to gain a greater awareness, and awareness is freedom. Mindfulness is a powerful tool to expanding our awareness - of self, of other, of the collective as a whole.

Gestalt therapy is a holistic form of therapy bringing past into present. This can look many different ways. My approach to Gestalt therapy is to tap into the self as a whole - connecting mind, body, and spirit - with one foot in the past, and one foot in the present. Exploring difficulties of the past in the safety of the present creates space for more information to come through, an opportunity to practice trusting your intuition, and a way to connect what may feel like scattered dots.

From mild unease to full-blown panic, anxiety can show up in a number of ways, and make it very difficult to live day-to-day life. Understanding anxiety, developing skills to loosen its grip, and practicing mindful interventions when it arises are crucial to alleviating the discomfort anxiety can cause. Anxiety is an expert trickster, and it can make us feel like we have no control over ourselves. Increasing our awareness of anxiety's origins/messages allows us to feel in control again.