About Traci’s Approach and FAQs
What you will NOT get at Mandala Counseling Services
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: it only works superficially and often only temporarily
A diagnosis: you are more than a label and in fact, what the mental health system and the DSM have called “diagnoses” are actually reasonable and adaptive strategies developed in childhood to deal with upset
Pathologized: your “symptoms” are actually trying to tell you something important and when you find out what that is, change happens
Strategies, tools, coping skills: I believe you have an innate healing capacity that doesn’t require special skills to harness
What you WILL get from Mandala Counseling Services
Compassion and safety
Acceptance, appreciation and non-judgment of ALL of you
A body and mind approach to deep healing
An actual roadmap for achieving the lasting change you desire (we don’t just hold space for venting here, we work together toward explicit goals)
Support in accessing your inner healing intelligence, assistance in removing the constraints that keep you from living your full potential
I predominantly use an evidence-based model called Internal Family Systems (IFS). I am Level 3 trained and certified in this transformative approach that changes the way therapy is done.
Perhaps you’ve had therapy before. You might have learned to challenge and change your negative thoughts and that might have helped for a little while. But those nagging feelings of not being good enough persist or you just cannot seem to stop engaging in behaviors that end up causing you and others harm.
In IFS therapy, ALL PARTS of you are welcome. NO parts of you are pathologized. I view my job as helping you heal the burdens that cause these problematic beliefs and behaviors.
To learn more, read this article on IFS.
For a more detailed description of IFS from its founder, Dick Schwartz, as well as a demonstration of how it works, watch this: Dr. Chatterjee’s Interview
"Know all the theories, master all the techniques, but as you touch a human soul, be just another human soul ."
— Carl Jung
FAQs
Why don’t you take insurance?
This article as well as this article explain the many reasons I decided to stop taking insurance. You can use your HSA funds to cover your sessions. Also, engaging in extended sessions (therapy intensives) can be a cost effective way to achieve more in a shorter period of time. See my Rates page for more details.
What other modalities do you use in your therapy?
While IFS is a comprehensive approach to healing, I am also fully trained in EMDR and incorporate Somatic Experiencing, Polyvagal Theory and mindfulness into sessions as well. Disclaimer: I have not completed the full Somatic Experiencing training. I have taken introductory classes.
How long will I go to therapy?
This is a common question that is not so easy to answer. It usually depends on the extent to which your defense mechanisms are in control. In IFS, we call these “protectors” and un-burdening doesn’t happen until these parts of our inner system step back and allow access to the parts of us that carry the burdens. This can happen quite quickly for some, while others need more time to gain trust in the process.