I graduated from Smith School for Social Work in 2016. After that, I worked for Behavioral Health Network (BHN) in Springfield, Ma for 5 years, and now I am working in private practice. Mainly, I am a relational psychodynamic therapist. However, I sometimes draw on aspects from other styles to meet your individual needs. Other approaches I am familiar with and may draw from include: Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Mindfulness.
My intention is to work in a trauma-informed way. I am also strongly committed to social justice and working with people from many different walks of life. I appreciate perspectives influenced by disability, class, gender, sexual orientation and a multitude of other life experiences. I enjoy working with children, adolescents and adults. I have a lot of experience working with people with different learning styles and unique emotional needs. From the start, I will say, no one is perfect. It is important to learn to accept yourself and believe that what you have to offer is enough. I model this belief in my work. I welcome feedback and like to know how therapy is feeling for you at any given time.
People come to therapy for different reasons and have been coping the best way they know how. Often people are looking for a non-judgmental space to be able to talk about life experiences and receive support. My hope is to help you gain more understanding of yourself as you navigate your life's unique circumstances to reach your full potential. Together, we may explore the feelings and thoughts that arise in the therapeutic relationship and explore how these feelings may be relevant in your other relationships. We may look to see if there are patterns (example: you feel like you are often taken advantage of or feel like you can't be yourself with people and hide how you feel or what you need.) We could explore what meaning relational patterns may have in your life and where they may have come from. We also can look at what it might feel like to make changes. The first few sessions, I will ask a lot of questions and make some suggestions or simply listen. It depends on what you like and feel you need the most.
Caroline Wallace
LICSW