Liz Michaud BFA, MA, LMFT

Codependency is not an official mental illness, but it is a term that many people identify with. I help clients based on the definition created by the author and codependency expert Pia Mellody. She defines it as having difficulty with: - experiencing appropriate levels of self-esteem - setting functional boundaries - owning our own reality - acknowledging and meeting our own needs and wants and being interdependent with others - experiencing and expressing our reality moderately

Depression can look different for different people, but it can show up as: - feelings of sadness, emptiness, meaninglessness, hopelessness - feelings of numbness, or an absence of feelings - loss of pleasure or motivation to do the things you used to enjoy - ongoing feelings of guilt and/or low self-esteem - difficulty concentrating or making decisions - feeling tired all the time - difficulty with sleep - changes in appetite and weight - moving or speaking much more, or much less, than usual

Anxiety can also look different for different people, but often, it can show up in the following ways: - chronically feeling nervous or anxious - chronic worry that is difficult to control - feelings of fear or dread - being easily fatigued - difficulty concentrating - being irritable or having less patience - muscle tension and/or somatic distress - difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is an approach developed by Psychologist and author Marsha Linehan. It contains the following the four sets of skills: - mindfulness - distress tolerance - emotion regulation - interpersonal effectiveness To put these ideas into other words, these are skills aimed at empowering a person to understand themselves better, learn to sit with their emotions without "fixing" them or avoiding them, self-soothe, and learn to communicate in healthier ways.

Because I believe in therapy that is non-shaming and understands that being a human is complex, my approach is also inspired by Internal Family Systems (IFS) developed by Richard Schwartz, Ph.D. IFS is based on the idea that the mind is a complex system that has many different parts. All of these parts play distinct roles for us, have their own perspectives, and which are ultimately aimed at protecting your pure, authentic self. Understanding ourselves in this way can be deeply transformative.

Drama Therapy involves the practice of embodying different roles in real-time that are therapeutic. For example, if a person dislikes their job and wants to leave, but is fearful to take the next steps, this is an example of two parts of a person that are at odds. My approach depends on the comfort level of my client, but I often use this method by helping people identify these conflicting parts of themselves, and express themselves from those different points of view.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a therapeutic approach developed by Psychologist and author Marsha Linehan. It is a accountability and skills-based approach with four different categories: - mindfulness - distress tolerance - emotion regulation - interpersonal effectiveness This approach helps people become more self-aware, more equipped to sit with their feelings, make themselves feel better in healthy ways, and engage in relationships with healthy boundaries and communication.