Mark Weichelt (he/him)

Life can be unfair, disappointing, and confusing so it is normal to feel down, defeated, or pessimistic at times. These feelings can turn into a downward spiral that is difficult to escape without support. There are various causes for depression, and therefore different treatment modalities may be appropriate. Developing healthy self-care routines or learning mindfulness can bring immediate relief to some symptoms. Others may benefit from working on past trauma.

Healthy anxiety is meant to motivate us to accomplish a task. When that task is accomplished, we feel a sense of relief or even pride. But when anxiety lingers in our system without relief, it can create a feedback loop between body and mind that becomes more and more unbearable. Learning new ways of responding to anxiety can bring immediate relief to many symptoms.

Trauma occurs when we have an intense experience that our nervous system cannot safely integrate. Defensive strategies are employed to keep the trauma from disrupting the rest of the system. Often these emergency strategies are taxing to the nervous system and disruptive to other aspects of life - numbing, avoiding, distracting. In trauma therapy, we work to safely process traumatic experiences and help the system become whole again.

ACT is a model based on the concept of psychological flexibility. Humans are naturally designed to be adaptive to changing environments. We flow with the ups and downs. But sometimes we become 'stuck', adhering to rigid beliefs or habits that at one time may have been useful, but are no longer effective in navigating our lives. In ACT, we'll look at the ways you feel stuck, and learn how to get back in the flow of life.

IFS posits that, rather than being one indivisible personality, we are each a collective of sub-personalities or 'parts'. Intuitively, we recognized this: "Part of me wants to go out, but another part would rather stay in". Ideally, our parts work together like a symphony all playing the same tune. But occasionally, some parts become distressed, others may become antagonistic toward other parts (ie.-inner critic). In IFS, we'll get to know your parts and help them work harmoniously together.

We experience our lives through thoughts (concepts, memories, self-talk), feelings (emotions, moods, attitudes), and sensations (physical interaction with the world). Mindfulness is a practice of working with these elements of experience more wisely and skillfully.

We experience our lives through thoughts (concepts, memories, self-talk), feelings (emotions, moods, attitudes), and sensations (physical interaction with the world). Mindfulness is a practice of working with these elements of experience more wisely and skillfully.