Psychodynamic Therapists in Suttons Bay, MI

I have a private practice working with individuals, couples and families. I also work extensively with teens and children. My primary focus is working with stress, anxiety disorders and depression; however, I also work with addictions, eating disorders, parenting issues and basic conflict resolution . I follow a cognitive/behavioral approach for anxiety and depression, as well as a psychodynamic approach in other areas. My goal is to help my clients develop a clearer understanding of their feelings, thoughts and emotions, and then begin to work to make positive, life-enhancing changes in their lives.

Are experiences with trauma keeping you stuck in the past and interfering with your quality of life? Do you find yourself trapped in harmful patterns that prevent you from having meaningful relationships? Are you constantly seeking to matter, feeling not good enough, or driven towards perfection? Working through these issues can be challenging and provoke tremendous distress. I cannot promise this process will be easy, but I can confidently say that there is hope for the future. As a licensed psychotherapist, I strive to create a therapeutic alliance that can be used as a vehicle for recovery and growth.

With a focus on serving specific populations, my target practice includes first responders, military personnel, pre and postpartum mothers, couples seeking premarital counseling, college-aged individuals, hospice patients, and those experiencing grief and loss. I also works extensively with individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and personality disorders.

Maya Angelou once said, "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." Finding a therapist you feel safe telling your story to can be scary; not telling your story can be agony.

We have been serving the Grand Ledge area since 1985. For more information, please visit our website.

I help people address mental health issues through a combination of highly individualized therapy and lifestyle interventions. I have extensive experience treating depression and other mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders and trauma. I help people better understand how their attitudes and behaviors are influenced by their life experience and current environment, so change is possible. My approach is highly collaborative and flexible, and I work with my clients to maximize the benefits of therapy by helping them develop supports and opportunities for growth outside scheduled sessions.

We can get stuck in unhealthy relational patterns with ourselves and others that impact our mood and sense of self. We fear disconnection, rejection, and loneliness. What we desire is to be heard, known, and valued by others. What I hope to provide is a space and partner to acknowledge and express our needs, understand our roles, set boundaries with others, and feel safe and secure in ourselves. Together we can foster a deeper understanding of yourself and provide tools to help cope with life's challenges.

Welcome! I'm Elizabeth. I have 20+ yrs of experience in mental health. I am highly effective working with individuals and couples, whether you are a young adult struggling with anxiety or a retiree adjusting to the next phase of life. I help couples navigate communication issues, parenting, infidelity. During our sessions, we will delve deeply into the issues at hand and collaborate to create a plan for addressing them in a way that helps you improve your quality of life, relationships and daily functioning. Most of my clients see a marked lifting of symptoms within the 1st month and progressive improvement thereafter.

Emmy believes that your well-being relies on achieving balance in all aspects of your life. This requires a whole health approach that will serve the mind, body, and soul. Emmy specializes in trauma; specifically sexual trauma, violence trauma, relationship trauma, and family/intergenerational trauma. Her primary specializations are working with individuals with attachment style issues, relationship issues, masculine and feminine energies, sex trauma/intimacy issues, anxiety disorders, and grief.

Life can be hard and knowing who to turn to when you need help can be frustrating. I do my best to help you through tough times with a strengths-based approach to life’s challenges. We all need a supportive person to see that we are able to survive with a little guidance and perspective. Then we are capable of making necessary adjustments so that we can achieve our best life. As a counselor, I have worked with many kinds of people with different experiences and struggles including substance abuse, marriage and family struggles, depression, anxiety, etc.

No matter how hard you try to move forward, you feel like your taking one step back. You’re a high performer with perfectionism tendencies and always put on a smile, which helps you forget your pain. You feel you will never be fully happy and never be able to fully enjoy life how others do, because of your many losses, attributing to your decreased self esteem. You may keep friends and family at a distance, to protect yourself from yet another inevitable loss. You may have stopped exercising and taking care of yourself the way you used to, since it takes too much work and you're just surviving at the end of another long day.

A catalyst may be a person or a thing that precipitates a change. When you see the change, you can be the change! As a licensed clinical social worker I have worked with children, adolescents, adults, groups and families in the areas of trauma and resilience, anxiety, depression, as well as grief and loss. As a member of the gay community, a presenter and writer in this field, I have worked with folks that are moving toward being fully integrated in their lives. Matching what we know about our inner selves with our outer selves and celebrating ourselves within our communities, may require some assistance along the way.

My practice is built upon the belief in the resilience of the human spirit. Humans are remarkably skilled at learning how to adapt to overwhelming stress. "Survival" necessitates a disconnect from our body, heart and mind. Allowing narratives to unfold, within a safe relational dyad, can invite a journey back to the Self within. While I have a special interest, and heart for, working with those who have been deeply hurt, I also welcome couples who are struggling to live in harmony with one another or those who want to rekindle a "passion" for living life together in real, authentic partnership.

Good therapy can produce long lasting life changes. Although shifts in behavior and emotions can take time, even in the short term there can be immediate relief. I see the relationship between the patient and therapist as central to a positive outcome. Although we are all infinitely diverse and complex, collectively we seek to be understood. I listen with curiosity and empathy to understand each individual's unique experience. In treatment I create an atmosphere of trust where together we can identify your strengths, find practical solutions to problems and unfold underlying vulnerabilities that are obstacles to your experience of a rich and fulfilling life.

Let’s face it: friends and family often mean well, but they can be part of the problem. When you find yourself easily angered and misunderstood by others, or when worries cloud your mind, and sleeping well or eating healthy becomes too challenging, those are signs that help is needed. Other signs: high anxiety; not having enough energy to get through the day; feeling discouraged and having doubts about “the point of it all". Although rewarding, relationships are hard to navigate. We put our hearts and souls into trying to fix problems, only to feel stuck in that exhausting cycle of never-ending arguments, and nothing changes.