Corinna Hayes (she/her/hers)

People experience Adjustment Disorders when there are gradual or abrupt shifts in our lives and they, in various ways, emotionally struggle with the change. It can look like depression, anxiety, anger or acting out or often a combination of these symptoms. Whether you're struggling to adjust to a new job or job loss, relationship ending, death, becoming a new parent, or any other change, I would love to support you in processing, coping, and finding new ways to grow.

Anxiety presents in many forms! Generalized, OCD, Panic attacks, Phobias, eating issues, somatic issues, perfectionism, insomnia, Illness Anxiety Disorder, & many others! Our natural instinct when facing anxiety is often some combination of avoidance, obsession, attempts to control, & utilizing unhealthy coping strategies (because we're desperate to feel better!). I have a broad knowledge and experience base with anxiety responses to help you better understand what is happening and feel better!

While parenting can have many joyful moments, it's probably the biggest life transition many of us will face. And the biggest life challenge! Emotionally, it's a huge adjustment. It changes everything in an instant! Whether you need help with the emotional piece or with support on being the kind of parent you would like to be, I would love to help you. I believe that there are no bad kids and there are no bad parents: we are all doing our best. But sometimes we need help!

By spending more time in the present moment, we can literally grow the prefrontal cortex region of the brain- (this region is responsible for logical/rational thinking, seeing the big picture and the grays of life, thoughtful decision making, planning, problem solving, etc). By improving mindfulness we also become more aware of the way our thoughts, feelings, and behavior are interact. With these skills, we can greatly improve our capacity to make the changes we'd like to in our lives.

Exposure and Response Prevention is a treatment for OCD, Panic Disorder, Phobias and other anxiety disorders. Because our tendency with anxiety is to avoid, (which makes symptoms worse long term), instead we expose ourselves to our fears and then prevent our typical response (avoiding, running away, various checking or compulsive behaviors, etc). This is difficult, but we do it gradually, starting with the smallest fears and working our way up. This is a highly effective therapy!

CBT is about how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact. While we can't just say "stop feeling this!" because that is the opposite of helpful, we can work on changing our thinking and behaviors in ways that help our emotions. I also like to work on changing our relationship to our thoughts (something ACT added to traditional CBT approaches) rather than just trying to change our thinking (which can be counterproductive for some).

Self-esteem (or what I prefer to work on is self-compassion or self-worth) is often a struggle because of deep shame. This shame can show up as a driver towards perfectionism and the emotional state of anxiety as well as states of depression. I have many years of experience helping people understand where their shame stems from and working toward building their understanding and compassion for themselves.