Welcome

Healing Can Happen

I am an experienced, interactive therapist practicing in South Bend, Indiana. Contact me at (574) 210-0771 or therapycrystal@gmail.com if you would like to work on:

• Creating emotional stability and health
• Increasing your self-esteem and self-worth
• Dealing with anger
• Growing healthy relationships with your partner and/or children
• Healing from abuse or trauma in your past
• Feeling balanced and motivated again
• Stabilizing your mood
• Finding your strength and power as a woman
• Communicating from an assertive and loving place

Are you afraid to trust a mental health professional with your problems?

You are not alone. Most people feel this way at first when seeking counseling.  In order to feel alright about talking to someone about your deeply personal thoughts and feelings, you have to feel a connection and sense of trust. When you first come into my office, I don’t expect you to immediately trust me. I know that your trust is something I must earn.  Trust may be especially difficult for you if you have been abused in your family or relationships.  Building a therapeutic relationship is our first job in therapy. The first few sessions are an interview process for you to determine if I am the best therapist for you. I find that the majority of people who interview me stay with me and commit to working on resolving their emotional pain and reconnecting with their inner strength.  Many of my clients have appreciated my willingness to answer questions and allow them to open up at their own pace.

If you have been abused…

Women who have been sexually violated or abused in their relationships often feel ashamed and embarrassed. You may think you are the only one being treated this way. I have worked with women who were sexually abused by family members, raped by partners or dates, verbally tortured by their significant others or emotionally blackmailed in the context of an intimate relationship.  Frequently, these problems created anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress reactions in my clients. I want you to understand that you don’t have to be a victim anymore. I will work with you to move from feeling like a defeated victim to being a thriving survivor. You have the internal strength to move from powerlessness to feeling powerful in your life. I will help you rediscover that inner power. 

If you are a new mother…

New mothers who think about harming themselves or their babies often feel that they are unfit to be a mother.  It takes a lot of courage to talk to a professional about what is going on.  But those who are able to come forward and tell their story have found it to be well worth the risk.  I’m confident that I can help you get a better perspective on your issue and not feel so bad about it.  Then, we can begin looking toward the future and help you bring what you want into your life.

Often, new mothers are triggered by old pain or suddenly find themselves in the depths of deep depression for the first time after the birth of their baby.  Anxious thoughts race through their minds, including want to harm themselves or their child(ren).  This is not as unusual as you may think and it doesn’t mean you are crazy or that you will ruin your child(ren).  You are likely experiencing postpartum depression or anxiety.  You may even be experiencing a form of postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder (repetitive thoughts or actions) or psychosis (delusional thoughts or ideas).  I can help you find ways to feel normal again and be the mother that you want to be. 

If you are feeling short-fused, angry and overwhelmed in motherhood…

As a mother, you have many demands on your time, energy and resources and the thought of reaching out for help for yourself may be at the bottom of your priority list.  My clients have consistently emphasized how glad they are that they took the step of calling for an appointment and getting the help they need to deal with their anger, stress or feelings of overwhelm in motherhood.  Even if you are not showing symptoms of depression or anxiety, simply working with me on transition to motherhood issues can be extremely helpful and give you some energy and focus you may have lost.  I am a mother to two young boys and I work with you from my experience as both an experienced therapist and mother of two active children.