You’re looking to feel better and…
…may be considering therapy, for many reasons. Maybe you’re experiencing an abrupt or even painful life change, and you’re having a tough time coping. Perhaps you’ve experienced chronic anxiety or depression symptoms, life difficulties, or a pattern of situations which seem bigger than your abilities. Sometimes, those around you are not equipped to help, or may be part of the dynamic, and, thus, you’re searching for a professional to provide you with a confidential and expert perspective on how to address your challenges.
You are capable to handle your problems but…
…doing so over time has exhausted you emotionally, and your tolerance and patience is compromised. You’re stuck in the same situation, you simply have a hard time accepting or adapting to what is in front of you, and wish to increase your coping skills to manage all your commitments.
Maribel has worked with individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, stressed family systems, and more. She works from a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach to help clients identify their thoughts and behavior patterns, which keep them stuck in the same cycle of emotional dissatisfaction.
Are you adapting to a life stage?
Millennials range from mid-20s to early 40s in age, and stress may come from establishing your independence, climbing the career ladder, a family or parenting situation, having relationship problems, or even becoming a caregiver to a loved one.
You are the first generation to grow up with the constant exposure to the internet and social media. There are endless comparisons of image, status, or resources. Symptoms of depression and anxiety can increase for many reasons: your family may not be close by, balancing work and personal life is difficult when you’re traveling for work, or you don’t feel you “measure up”.
Establishing yourself and feeling successful is a goal…
…maybe you’re still living at home due to economic reasons and plan to establish yourself soon, and the interaction with your family from a different generation is strained. However, mental health is not taboo for you.
Let’s get started! Together, we can learn to validate how you feel, resolve shame issues caused by the endless comparisons we see online or by family’s past experiences, and build the skills to navigate interpersonal relationships which may be impacting stress at work and your personal life.
Adult world, here I come!…
You’re a young adult finishing high school or attending college. You may be deciding your life path and are in the workplace, school, or both. Anxiety and depression don’t discriminate based on age group, as the stressors of entering the “adult world” can be scary, overwhelming, and even paralyzing. There is a generation gap between you and your parents, which may increase conflict as your worldviews and experiences can be far apart. You may be in a romantic relationship and are learning the interpersonal skills to nurture a healthy dynamic.
You’re officially an adult but…
…must adhere to parents’ expectations or depend on their financial support. You’re stuck in two worlds and find it difficult to switch from one stage to the next. One day, you’re “kid-like” playing video games or engaged in social media, and the next day, you’re facing higher academic, work, relationship or life demands, which strain your adaptability skills, may frustrate you, or decrease your confidence. Avoidance is a common reaction, and you may appear unmotivated to your family; however, you’re simply trying hard to stretch your wings to fly!
Together, we can learn effective adaptability, coping, and interpersonal skills, to transition to a world which is uncharted for you, but may be eager to explore.
The adult parent-child relationship changes over time…
…and the challenges in becoming our parents’ support system may strain the quality of the interaction and communication. Our attachment with our parents in our adult and their elder years, range widely. From extremely supportive and loving relationships in which we draw strength from their wisdom and experience, we feel so close, and the thought of losing them scares us, to a high conflict one, in which we don’t get the validation or credit, back from childhood, to the present. However, many clients feel obliged to look out for their parents’ well-being after the loss of one of their parents, when there is an illness, or when they are becoming more dependent.
Why won’t our parents listen and accept we are adults too?
The reality of our adult interactions stem from the attachment and parenting style which developed in our childhood. It is difficult to reset the dynamic, switch roles, and for elder parents to accept our influence or even our help. In other cases, the elder parent may want to maintain the status quo and seek to demand, expect, guilt, criticize, or make comparisons to get their goal met. Other factors which strain relationships include family trauma, abuse, alcoholism, grief, detachment, or absence among others.
Maribel can help you learn about the origin of your relationship patterns, by exploring childhood parenting and attachment styles, which result in the current emotional outcomes. Since the past is fixed, we then focus on learning skills for the here-and-now to interact, problem solve, and communicate with our elder parents, in a way which maintains respect, while establishing healthy boundaries and expectations.