Common Issues For Seeking Therapy
Life often brings challenges — emotional, relational, or internal — that are difficult to carry alone. Many people begin therapy because they feel stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected, disintegrated, or unsure about the next step. Below are some of the concerns I commonly help people navigate.
Anxiety, Stress & Overthinking
Anxiety can take many forms — racing thoughts, irritability, physical tension, obsessive thinking, social fears, or a sense that your mind won’t slow down. You may feel overwhelmed by responsibilities or unable to relax. Counseling can help you understand what fuels the anxiety and develop a steadier, more grounded way of responding to it.
“Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.” - Søren Kierkegaard
Depression, Numbness & Low Motivation
Depression doesn’t always look like sadness. It can show up as emotional numbness, exhaustion, difficulty finding motivation, or feeling like you’re moving through life on autopilot. You may be functioning outwardly while struggling internally. Therapy helps you make sense of these experiences, reconnect with meaning, and slowly rebuild hope and direction.
“In addition to my other numerous acquaintances, I have one more intimate confidant… My depression is the most faithful mistress I have known — no wonder, then, that I return the love." - Søren Kierkegaard
"Depression is the inability to construct a future." - Rollo May
Grief & Loss
Loss — whether of a person, relationship, season of life, or part of your identity — affects each person differently. Some feel things intensely right away; others much later. Some “move on” quickly, while others take more time. Therapy is not about pathologizing your response to loss. It’s about making space for your story, honoring what was meaningful, and helping you move forward in a way that is true to you.
“For in grief nothing 'stays put.' One keeps on emerging from a phase, but it always recurs. Round and round. Everything repeats. Am I going in circles, or dare I hope I am on a spiral? But if a spiral, am I going up or down it? How often -- will it be for always? -- how often will the vast emptiness astonish me like a complete novelty and make me say, 'I never realized my loss till this moment?' The same leg is cut off time after time.” - C.S. Lewis - A Grief Observed
Trauma & PTSD
Trauma can come from childhood experiences, accidents, medical events, military service, relational injuries, or any situation where safety and trust were threatened. You may notice nightmares, irritability, avoidance, emotional shutdown, difficulty concentrating, or persistent anxiety. Counseling provides a supportive space to process what happened at a safe pace and begin restoring a sense of internal control and stability.
“It is perfectly true, as philosophers say, that life must be understood backwards. But they forget the other proposition, that it must be lived forwards.” - Søren Kierkegaard
Feeling Stuck, Lost, or Uncertain
You may be seeking counseling because you feel stuck, hopeless, or unsure where life is headed. This can happen after major transitions, unexpected events, or when old patterns no longer work. Therapy can help you see possibilities again — not by pretending everything is easy, but by creating a space where clarity, direction, and hope can re-emerge.
“If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility never. And what wine is so sparkling, what so fragrant, what so intoxicating, as possibility!” --- Søren Kierkegaard
Purpose and Meaning
People often come to therapy with deep questions about identity, direction, and meaning. You may be asking, Why am I here? What now? What does a fulfilling life look like, Where am I going? These questions matter… there are probably no more important questions. Exploring them can be challenging but also rewarding, helping you align your values, decisions, and actions in a way that feels purposeful and honest.
"'Everything is meaningless,' says the Teacher, 'completely meaningless!'" Ecclesiastes 1:2 (NLT)
“I beg you to believe that life is not a process, it's a drama.” ― Malcolm Muggeridge
Get in touch
Whether you’re ready to start therapy or just have a few questions, I would love to hear from you.