Sarah Hammack

Life can be very confusing. When a person walks into a therapy room for the first time, they are often emotionally bruised and looking for some clarity about their world and their own responses to events and circumstances. It is a privilege for me as a therapist to help the people I work with to make sense of it all. I help my clients learn to listen to themselves with respect, compassion, and curiosity. People can develop this courageous curiosity when they learn to have faith that whatever they find out about themselves makes sense and is coming from a decent place. It is often difficult to cultivate the habit of validating one's own thoughts and feelings (especially if one has long experience of doing the opposite), but it is extremely rewarding as the changes begin to be noticeable.

It takes a lot of courage to open oneself up in therapy. And it is very important to feel heard, understood, and respected in the therapy room. If that does not happen, the experience can leave a person feeling invalidated and even injured. Please do not give up! The rewards of trusting a neutral party to help guide the process of clarifying one's internal world are worth it. My DBT-informed practice often focuses on mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and managing boundary issues. These skills can be very helpful for those who give therapy another chance.