Alli Yates (they/them)

Whether it is your first time in therapy or you have had years of experiences in therapy, I will meet you with warmth, curiosity, and a dedication to understanding you. To build trust and foster greater feelings of safety, we move at your own pace. If we explore moment-to-moment feelings or notice how emotions express themselves in your body, we do so to the degree that feels right for you. I have a non-directive and exploratory style. Talking through things out loud, noticing passing feelings and sensations, and exploring dreams or memories can all be important parts of the ways we come to understand your experiences. Because structure can also be helpful in therapy, especially when stressful, complicated or new feelings are present, I bring attentiveness as well as a gentle, active presence to the work. In this way, therapy centers the organic unfolding of your experiences while also at times offering practical tools to support you in your life.

There are countless entry points to therapy. Some arrive to seek deeper understanding in their lives, while others hope to navigate painful threads in their relationships and inner worlds. Perhaps above all, many come to pursue some form of relief, growth, or change.Your emotions, your pain, and your hopes and desires are all powerful forces we can make room for, listen to, and explore together. My role is to hold consistent curiosity, rigor, and care throughout the process of your own self-discovery. I approach the therapeutic relationship with an attention to the ways power impacts us and informs our identities. Structural forces such as racial, cultural, gendered, and class-based oppression shape our world, our lives, and our relationships – including the therapeutic relationship. Ultimately, I believe that my job is to be curious and engaged with you about how you make meaning of the world, how you move in it, and how we can best hold space for these experiences together.