Anxiety and Trauma Counseling in Grand Rapids

 
 
 
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Receive support and help | Change what’s not working | Live a happier life

 
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Don’t feel stuck any longer

  • Stop the constant worries and feeling unsettled

  • End the struggle with self-doubt

  • Don’t lose connection with those you care about

 
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Hi, I’m Natalie

I was working as a summer camp counselor when I realized that trying to help someone change their life for the better is basically impossible unless you look at all the different things that are making their life difficult. No one sets out to have hardships. No one sets out looking to struggle personally, educationally or financially. The school of hard knocks doesn’t come with an elective in coping skills for all that life seems to throw at us.

I became a therapist because I genuinely wanted to help people. I feel connected to those who are struggling and something in me is pulled towards helping them feel better. My first summer as a camp counselor I learned that wanting to help people feel better and being able to make a change in their lives are two very different things. So I set out to get the best training I could to find out how to actually help people experience lasting life improvement. It led me to the field of Marriage and Family Therapy, which sounds like all I do is work with couples. But the basis of MFT is that everything is a system. You are embedded in a system, whether chosen or not, and every aspect and relationship within your system affects you. I learned how to honor all these different factors and help clients achieve more peace.

To be honest, I pursued a PhD partially to try and fill a deep seated fear that I wasn’t good enough. Although I loved learning and the advanced knowledge I gained, nothing but good therapy helped me resolve those feelings of inadequacy. I found this healing through a therapy called EMDR and it changed my life so much I went on to be trained in the practice so I could use it to help other people feel better about themselves and their lives.