Vaughn Powell (she/her)

My job is to build meaningful connections with my clients so that I can identify relational patterns that contribute to depression and anxiety, guilt, overwhelm and shame. Primarily, I reference psychodynamic, attachment and mindfulness theories as I work with clients, and I aim to create a strong therapeutic bond that allows clients to feel safe exploring new ways of being. I also consider how institutional racism plays a role in insecure attachment and offer a space to shed colonial conditioning. I have been living in Minneapolis for the last 5 years. My undergraduate education was completed at Drake University in Des Moines, IA. I am originally from Philadelphia, PA, but have lived in several cities that have given me an appreciation for new surroundings. My time in between my undergraduate schooling and graduate training was spent in marketing roles that awakened my interest in cognitive processes and relationships.

I have learned that how we chose to relate to caregivers in childhood influences how we create and maintain relationships in adulthood. I help clients become aware of the cycle that is being unconsciously repeated so that they can eventually exercise choice to change. Additionally, I have a moving and sitting yoga practice that informs how I interpret my work with clients. I see many unconscious drives harboring themselves in the body, creating tension. By locating sensation in the physical form, clients become aware, not only of what they are feeling, but also what they can do to nurture the sensation that is present.