Existential Therapists in Santa Fe, NM

Are you struggling with a life transition, relationship issues or painful emotions? Together we will endeavor to attain unique solutions to your specific problems. Increasing happiness and hope to facilitate meaningful, productive living, are primary goals of my practice. Over the course of my 25 years practicing therapy in New Mexico, I have worked with a wide variety of clients and issues. Methods are tailored to the individual's personality, culture, problems and wants. I strive to help clients find clear vision, meaning and a positive sense of self as well an appreciation of purpose in relation to others and the community.

Welcome! At Serna Solutions we look forward to helping you achieve your best self. We have specially trained counselors and social workers who can help individuals, couples and families deal with a wide range of issues. We are also one of the few organizations in the world who specialize in Community Reinforcement Approach and Family Training (CRAFT). CRAFT is the ONLY evidence-based practice approved as an intervention for assisting those who have a loved one struggling with an addiction. We can do CRAFT coaching in person or online for those who live outside of the New Mexico area. W

Do you feel anxious? Depressed? We are living in a very unstable world right now and so feeling grounded and centered is especially challenging. Stressful times like these activate our nervous systems and can awaken old traumas, fears, and anxiety and can cause depression. Finding that place inside where you are fundamentally okay no matter what is happening, is essential to the happy, healthy life you desire and so deserve. Believe it or not, it is possible. It also helps you be a more positive force in the world, rather than feeling like a victim of circumstances.

Are you a strong, successful woman who’s struggling on the inside, no matter how together you look on the outside? Life feels so hard; it’s all getting to be too much. You hate feeling like you’re not in control, but you also doubt your decisions. You feel worthless, taking the blame when things go wrong. Nothing stops the pain, no matter how busy you stay at work or how much you pretend that living like this is good enough. I’m Melanie. I'll help you overcome fears, frustrations, and loneliness, no matter how accomplished you are. You'll learn how to trust yourself again, to feel more alive, and fall in love with your future.

Are you ready for change? I welcome your call to see if my collaborative therapy approach is right for you. Research and experience suggest that it is our therapeutic relationship that matters most to the counseling process, not technique. I have a highly personalized, warm responsive style and offer a range of holistic approaches from solution-focused strategies and interventions to mindfully exploring the depths of interpersonal relationships and existential dilemmas. My goal as a therapist is to support you in finding and answering the questions inside you while feeling held and free.

I work collaboratively with my clients to help them construct a meaningful life. This means supporting clients to make meaning of even the more painful aspects of their experience. Perhaps you are dealing with a difficult life transition, struggling with memories from a painful childhood, grieving the death of a loved one, engaging in self-destructive behaviors, or are attempting to navigate the complex world of relationships. I will work with you to address issues from the perspective that although life is often painful, people have the ability to make healthy choices and to live lives of integrity, depth, and beauty.

Welcome to your own inner journey to transformative personal growth, empowerment and well-being! Our work together will encourage you to listen to and trust confidently in your own feelings, heart and intuition. I have found that emotions are our primary response to the world around us and contain all the information we need to learn to thrive. Focusing directly on the feelings underlying your issues rather than the thoughts will give you profound insight and clarity, and allow issues to resolve naturally and permanently. Learning to accept and trust in your own unique emotional/ intuitive perspective will bring you genuine self confidence, a renewed sense of direction in life, and dramatic spiritual/ psychological growth. My passion is to help you discover the natural healing magic within yourself!

Do you feel stuck? Uncertain? Afraid? You don't have to do it alone. I'm here to help you focus on your life--where you've been, where you are now, and where you want to go. In my experience, therapy doesn't have to take a long time; it takes as long as it needs to, which varies from person to person. I don't believe in "one size fits all" therapy. We're each unique and together we'll find your unique path to regain and maintain health.

I love working through challenging situations with people and I have found that most issues can be resolved over the course of a few weeks or months. My sessions are usually about 70 minutes because that's how long a complete and satisfying discussion takes. I don't intend to see you for nearly as long or as often as you think, and you might be surprised at the range of things I want to talk about. Your life is a lot more than your presenting complaint.

For adult clients, I provide support and insight around life transitions, anxiety, purpose and self esteem. Sometimes we find ourselves in the midst of chaos, unable to see a path forward toward clarity and purpose. Therapy can provide a container for gaining motivation, insight, and creative strategies to enhance our overall quality of life. For children and adolescents, I provide a safe space for exploring behavior and identity issues. Children and adolescents often come into therapy feeling overwhelmed, and leave feeling that they have the tools to be able to organize and resolve their distress.

Your relationship is stressed or you're looking for one, you're restless in your career or you're searching for meaning. Your self-care has taken backseat to busyness and life has become about being mother, wife, or caretaker. You're feeling stagnant, uninspired, and worried the world is passing you by. Waking up in the morning and looking forward to your day seems like a distant reality. You want to change but feel paralyzed by uncertainty. It feels too hard on your own to get clear with what's missing in your relationship, your career, and your life or where to begin to make lasting, meaningful change that feels worth the effort.

Are you feeling stuck? To feel stuck emotionally, professionally, relationally and in thought patterns is a common experience of human beings. Let's work together to get unstuck: allowing your creativity to flow uninhibitedly, your emotions to become valuable and digest-able, your aspirations to become realities and your relationships to become more fulfilling. Providing online therapy for Ohio and New Mexico residents.

I enjoy working and developing a therapeutic relationship with people that are struggling in their life whether it's with depression, anger, trauma, anxiety, relationships or even a sense that something needs to change. It's within that struggle that the spark of hope resides and I see it as my job to help people focus on their future, their strengths and successes and then begin to rediscover the hope and power to begin to shape their future and their lives.

To my current, past, and prospective clients: I am no longer accepting new referrals for psychotherapy clients, as of 02/01/2024, and anticipate placing my NM and ME licenses on inactive status no later than 06/01/2024. Please use this contact to forward to me any requests for referral, ROI requests, designated records sets, treatment summaries, and the like.

Relationships shape us. The experience of being seen, accepted, and understood by another is a basic human need that when not met can lead to feelings of isolation, loneliness, and other painful emotions. Transformation and healing happen in the moment and in the context of relationships. My approach is open, compassionate, non-pathologizing, relational, & somatic. Rooted in mindfulness, IPNB, & the body/mind connection, our work will also be infused with a healthy dose of humor when appropriate. I support people seeking to heal intergenerational trauma & grief & to weave authentic connections with themselves and with loved ones.

My ideal client is someone who has made an informed decision to reach out for help, having reached a place in life where they feel overwhelmed, stuck, perplexed, and/or hopeless. They recognize the need for some changes but are coming up against the limits of their own internal and/or external resources and need some gentle, external guidance to help steer them back to their own wisdom.

I offer deep therapy based on attachment theory and communication skills development, depending on your needs, to engage you (and/or your partner) in a meaningful and heartfelt exploration of your life support needs. Move past limiting thoughts and behaviors and develop deeper connections. Clients have said that they appreciate my non-judgmental, yet direct approach. My response - "I am in your corner, routing for you". It takes courage but once you embark on this journey you will say, "Why didn't I do this sooner"?

We all want to feel joyful and fulfilled in our lives and relationships. The 30+ years I have been in practice include running treatment centers, teaching / college level, national seminars, and training other therapists. I am licensed as both a clinical social worker and an addictions therapist. My experience and training has allowed me to integrate clinical knowledge with cultural understandings from the elders I grew up with. I help people achieve change through insight and solutions based in consciousness of internal and external conflicts.

Hello! Thank you for reaching out and taking the first step. It’s my goal to assist my clients while they're working toward a healthier, happier life. I work with my clients to find a mindful approach through the acceptance of patterns of thoughts and beliefs. I feel it's important to provide support while trying to answer life's big questions. A person's thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes can directly affect their feelings and behaviors whether that be a result of learned responses or a trauma response. I'm happy you've decided to reach out! Please visit my waitlist to add your info; www.desertskytherapy.com