FOR ADULT INDIVIDUALS TO GAIN CONFIDENCE
Empowerment Therapy in Grand Rapids
and across Michigan
Find your voice. Own your sexuality.
It’s time to take back your power.
You’re used to biting your tongue or walking on eggshells to keep the peace. Maybe when you were growing up no one modeled how to effectively have difficult conversations. (If your family was anything like mine you saw more examples of what not to do!) Perhaps conflict was routinely swept under the rug or you learned that it was preferable to swallow your feelings rather than risk making someone else upset. There were things that needed to be said, but avoiding those discussions was somehow easier than putting the tough stuff out in the open.
Conversations about sex didn’t fare much better. Maybe sex wasn’t openly talked about in your family and was instead treated more like a secret or something forbidden. Or perhaps there have been times in your life where you were shamed for enjoying pleasure or judged for your erotic preferences.
SO NOW YOU…
Freeze up or shut down when a conversation takes a turn
Ignore your needs and wants to prevent upsetting someone else
Question if your requests are reasonable and fair
Are uncomfortable talking about sex and expressing your boundaries
It’s possible you’ve been this way for as long as you can remember because it’s all that you know. Or maybe there was an event in the past that impacted you so deeply now you hesitate to be yourself.
It doesn’t have to stay this way.
You can more closely align with your genuine and empowered self.
HOW IT WORKS
My Approach to Empowerment Therapy
Somewhere along the way you started believing that holding yourself back and keeping your thoughts, opinions, and desires to yourself is less risky than putting it all out there. But the reality is that keeping yourself small doesn’t do you any favors - it only dishonors your worth and creates internal conflict with the part of you that knows you deserve better.
Therapy with me is all about tapping into that part of you and finding new, creative ways to allow that voice to come out. I’ll help you learn tools to communicate through conflict, identify healthy and realistic avenues for self-expression, and become unapologetically empowered to be the best versions of yourself. You deserve a friend, a cheerleader, an advocate - and that person can be you.
If you want to be more confident in how you react to situations out of your control, move from passive to assertive, and trust your intuition, empowerment therapy is for you! I’m here to show you not just how to get there, but also why you are worth the effort. No one will ever live your life better than you - it’s time to take your life into your hands and give a voice to that person inside who’s ready to come out.
Empowerment Therapy can help you…
confidently put your needs on the table
trust yourself to make fair requests
find your voice through challenges and conflict
say what you mean without being reactive or defensive
dismantle the mental barriers that prevent you from expressing your sexuality
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT EMPOWERMENT THERAPY
FAQs
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You're a good fit for working with me in this area, first and foremost, if you're motivated to do something different. I'll help you take manageable steps toward your goals with attainable and collaborative homework exercises between sessions. The clients who are willing to put the time in outside of session tend to get the most out of this work.
Next, you may also be a good fit if you have found addressing conflict or being confident to express yourself to be a challenge. My approach to empowerment therapy contains a large focus on communication and assertive action. If you've struggled to be honest about your truth or act according to your values and opinions, this is for you. I'll help you get there by working from the inside out - starting with helping you build the confidence to trust yourself.
The work we do together may or may not overlap with sexual concerns or wanting to better articulate yourself in this area. For some of my clients, they go hand-in-hand. Others focus more on their relationships with family members, confidence at work, or just building a better relationship with themselves.
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This is a hard one for me to answer because it varies so much from person-to-person. Many factors determine the length of time that we work together. On average, many people complete their therapeutic goals between 12-20 sessions. If you come weekly or bi-weekly, this is roughly three to nine months. That said, it is entirely possible to complete goals in less than 12 sessions, and also possible that you may be someone who benefits from longer-term therapy that extends beyond this time frame. Your schedule, budget, and the nature of what you're here to work on will play a role as well.
Keep in mind that you are here to restructure patterns that have been set and reinforced for years, maybe even your whole life. It will take time to change and lay a strong foundation for those new patterns so that you don't go back to old behaviors. Be patient with yourself and this process. All I ask of you is that you give your best in every session and if something is getting in the way of that, let's talk about it. The rest will fall into place.
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Yes. Becoming more empowered does not mean you have to lose important pieces of who you are or act in ways that go against your values. Yet, this is a common concern that I hear often! Becoming more assertive means that you can be respectful in conversations without being aggressive. You can communicate yourself and stand your ground without devolving to words or actions that feel out of character or counter who you're trying to become.
It’s your time to celebrate you.
YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH FOR EVERYTHING YOU’RE HOPING FOR!