Therapists in Ladue, MO

I went into the field of psychology because I love helping people transform to the best version of themselves. We all need a safe place to understand ourselves and how we relate to others/self. I often say "We need to be Mindful of our Total-Well Being and that our minds and our bodies are an inter-connected systems. Where the mind goes, so does the man or woman in their actions and body states. We go to the physician for our physical health, so how much healthier would we be if we went to our psychologist for our mental health?" At heart, I am a holistic practitioner and love seeing my clients Thrive.

Karen utilizes non-judgmental and empowering approaches that focus on helping individuals access internal strengths to cope with life's difficulties. She offers unconditional support for improved wellbeing while actively challenging behaviors that may hinder progress. Interventions specific to clients' needs are regularly reviewed in order to provide tools to be used between therapy sessions.

I believe people's pain is holy and sacred ground and that every individual's story has value. I work with individuals and couples, and I'm passionate about understanding my clients' struggles and giving them hope for healing and redemption. In coming to counseling, my clients can be assured that I'll provide a safe, non-judgmental space for them to grow and find healing. Of particular interest to me is helping people who struggle with relationship difficulties, sexual intimacy issues, vaginismus, sexual shame, religious and sexual identity conflicts, spirituality, and conflict and boundary issues.

My passion is to empathetically guide and support transformation of traumatic experience. I will empower you to face your fears, unburden toxic shame, heal traumatic wounds and help you reclaim the courage that you know is inside of you. The ability to have love, compassion and acceptance for yourself are powerful healing forces that I strive to ignite, recover and unlock in my clients. Through EMDR and Somatic Experiencing I focus on restoring a sense of calm, centered connectedness within the brain and body. I work to inspire courage, promote healing so you can embody radical acceptance, release fear and embrace authenticity.

The relationship between therapist and client is instrumental in helping a person achieve their goals. In the therapeutic relationship, clients have the opportunity to feel their full range of feelings and become understood in deep and meaningful ways. When someone matches with the right therapist, therapy can be a life-changing experience. Transgenerational patterns, attachment experiences, and core beliefs formed in early childhood play a major role in current mental health. I pay close attention to emotional language, thoughts, and somatic symptoms.

Starting with a new therapist can be overwhelming, especially if you have never taken the giant step to start therapy before, and I promise to always meet my clients where they are in the moment. Everyone is at a different point in their lives, and needs varying amounts of help, and I look forward to meeting you without judgement and on your terms.

My approach to therapy stems from the belief that feeling truly seen and understood is a basic human need. I aim to provide a safe and reflective space where you can bring your whole self without fear of judgment. We will work together in a collaborative process to understand your unique experiences and how they've impacted you, figure out where you may be stuck, and help you take back the reins. I work with people, not diagnoses, and take a strengths-based approach to help individuals of all ages gain self-awareness, curiosity, inspiration and hope.

My clients describe me as someone they feel safe and comfortable with, someone they feel they can trust, and someone that genuinely cares for them. Some of my clients describe themselves as perfectionists or high achievers; others identify as "people pleasers" struggling with setting healthy boundaries. Many of my clients have unhealed childhood wounds, and struggle with anxiety, depression or interpersonal relationship issues. It is my passion to help my clients figure out why they feel or react the way they do so that they can feel "good enough" about themselves on the inside and build healthier relationship with others.

My practice partners with clients who are looking for something different than the "more of the same" approach. There is no " how does that make you feel", instead I use a proactive collaborative partnership with you to make quick and effective change. I work with individuals, children, couples and families & a wide variety of challenges. My goal is to work with my clients to rapidly achieve their goals and have them "fire me" as soon as possible! Want a taste of how I work, check out my You Winning Life Podcast!

I strive to provide a warm, safe environment in which you can feel safe to share and process current experiences and past experiences that may be causing difficulty to your system. I believe that positive experiences and relationships are central to trauma recovery and are important to general well-being. I believe that psychotherapy is a journey of self-discovery. I believe treatment is a creative process. We will work together to develop new insights that inform change. I currently do not have openings but I am happy to add you to my waitlist if that is your preference.

Therapy tailored to you. Let's go deep! Many people come to me because they are unhappy in their relationships, work, or with how they feel about themselves, but they're not sure how to find their way to deeper fulfillment. Many people I work with have been in therapy before and learned cognitive or mindfulness skills that, while helpful, don't seem to go quite deep enough. Often, they have the sense that there is more to their challenges than meets the eye, but they don't quite know how to figure it out.

I want to commend you on taking the first step in this journey and I am honored to walk this path with you. It takes courage to look at yourself and explore patterns that have not been working for you and challenging yourself to create new patterns for your future. My practice is in helping people change ineffective relationship patterns, old beliefs, and unhealthy behaviors. I encourage all clients to get to the core of the underlying issues, while focusing on new ways of living. I believe in helping you get in touch with emotions and your body, so you can manage symptoms and enjoy a more peaceful, joyful, and productive life.

I practice from a culturally-responsive and inclusive foundation, and have extensive experience working with patients from various cultural, racial/ethnic, spiritual and religious backgrounds. In particular, I feel passionate about serving the Asians, and immigrant population. As an Asian immigrant myself, I understand our unique cultural challenges such as identity issues and intergenerational conflicts, and how cultural trauma and stressors can play a role in our mental health. I also enjoy working with couples who are in mixed race/ multicultural relationship, or encountering challenges due to factors related to race and culture.

Dr. Debra Zand, founder and co-owner of Midwest Psychological Services LLC, is a clinical psychologist with 20+ years of experience working with children and their families. She has particular expertise in conducting comprehensive psychological testing, as well as individual and family therapies. Dr. Zand uses an integrative, playful approach to conducting therapy She routinely see families to address: adoption issues, attachment, developmental trauma, anxiety, depression, parent-child relationship struggles, self-regulation difficulties, communication struggles, divorce, and remarriage.

My clients are experiencing conflict, emotional abuse, anxiety, addiction, depression, or grief. I see individuals and couples who are ready to change or are looking for help sorting out what to do. Some have been hurt deeply by a breach of trust. Others are dealing with devastating adult or childhood trauma. Through my training and professional background as an attorney and counselor, I help them find a path to recovery. Clients gain clarity and insight, and learn to manage anxiety, depression, grief, fear and traumatic memories. I am formally trained in CBT, EMDR, DBT and have taught couples counseling at the graduate level.

I consider it a privilege to come alongside courageous clients in the areas of depression, anxiety, abuse, PTSD, as well as strained & broken relationships. I integrate Christian spirituality with IFS (Internal Family Systems), DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), EMDR, and attachment-based models of psychotherapy. I help clients connect what they "know" about God and living that knowledge out with the goal of a "head-heart" connection. Through this process, clients experience long-lasting healing as they learn to live in the freedom of authenticity.