Aaron Mason (they/them/theirs)

Mindfulness simply means paying attention. This usually requires that clients slow down. Some mindfulness techniques focus on your breath or listening to a guided meditation. Others use awareness of your body. Mindfulness can reduce your anxiety, increase your self-esteem, improve your creativity, and help you manage stress.

Depth is an approach to therapy that suggests the Unconscious is a real, dynamic force. Learning how to integrate one's unconscious urges, feelings, thoughts, and memories into daily life is one goal of depth therapy. Another approach is to use expressive arts in session. This can include active imagination, a Jungian form of guided meditation that can help you with creative blocks and other issues.

CBT is a scientifically supported model of therapy. It relies on observing your patterns of thinking and making adjustments, which then begin to have a positive impact on your mood, relationships, and decision-making.

The pandemic has had a devastating impact on all of us. Now more than ever, taking care of our mental wellbeing is important. Depression is very common, but can also be misunderstood. It often goes along with anxiety, substance use, family conflict, coming out, etc. Regardless of the trigger though, it takes courage to ask for help. I am here if and when you are ready to talk.

When I was 16, I came out as a gay teen, and later lived fairly comfortably as a gay man for decades. In my mid-40's, though, getting to know nonbinary and transgender people helped me remember something. As a child, I never felt fully myself in the company of either boys or girls. So today am coming out again, this time as nonbinary and queer. I also realize that my cisgender presentation provides me with privilege, especially compared with trans people of color. This why I support BLM.

The pandemic has had a sweeping impact on our mental health, so people who may not have considered therapy before are now reaching out for support. Depression is common but can be misunderstood. People with depression may also struggle with anxiety, addiction, family conflict, coming out, etc. Regardless of the main reason though, it takes strength and courage to ask for help. I am here if and when you are ready to talk.

Decades ago, research on trauma focused on combat veterans. Today, we are learning that trauma may include emotional neglect, poverty, social distress, abandonment, and other less obvious "scars." I am currently in training to get a basic certificate in EMDR therapy for all types of trauma. Short for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, EMDR taps into your nervous system's innate healing capacity.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or EMDR, is about 30 years old. It can be helpful for people who experience distressing symptoms related to traumatic memories. EMDR is different from talk therapy. It uses the nervous system's natural healing abilities. Contact me to learn more.