Meara Queen (She/her)

Depression just sucks. For some it's a new feeling, for others it feels like you've always been there and can't even imagine not being depressed. I've been there, I get it, and yeah it doesn't have to feel like this.

For some it's a new feeling, for others it comes and goes, and for some it feels like you've always been there and can't even imagine who you'd be if you weren't depressed. It's often accompanied by anxiety, that exhausting practice of second (third, fourth...) guessing yourself. Feeling like there is always something you're doing wrong, aren't doing enough of, or like something bad is going to happen. I've been there, I get it, and yeah it doesn't have to feel like this.

In our society sex tends to be taboo and stigmatized while also somehow being glamorized. Just overall not a great situation for anyone. I've found that sex is often so taboo clients and mental health professionals alike often have trouble talking about it, which is really unfortunate because sex wellness is really hard to achieve in a society like ours! I am sex positive, kink/bdsm aware, and poly/cnm/enm friendly.

Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) is my primary approach to therapy. I love EFT because often we are taught not to trust our emotions, leading us to stuck and confused. EFT allows me to help client gain insight into their emotion patterns and more directly transform their emotional experience. From my experience, this often helps client's feel better, faster.

There is no one size fits all! I have learned many different evidence-based interventions and theories that help me best meet each client's unique needs. I integrate and adapt my practice based on my each client's symptoms, diagnoses, preferences, needs, and cultural background.

CBT is the most well researched theoretical orientation and has been demonstrated to be efficacious for a number of different issues. In a nutshell, it teaches how thoughts can effect behaviors, which can effect how we feel, and contribute to a not so great vicious cycle. However, it doesn't work well for everyone, so I often integrate and adapt it with other evidence-based practices.

Whether it was from a single incident or a series of ongoing trauma throughout your life, trauma can affect your well-being in many different ways. From difficulty in interpersonal relationships, feeling joy/relaxation, to simply feeling lost and confused. In my treatment, I use a trauma informed approach and am cognizant of the way trauma symptoms can often mimic other diagnoses.