What Former Clients Have Said

What happens in therapy can be difficult to describe from the outside. With their permission, a few former clients have shared what the work was like for them. Their words have been condensed here, but not their meaning. Their experiences are their own; no two courses of therapy unfold in quite the same way.

From my very first appointment I was impressed at how carefully Carolyn listened to my underlying concerns and how empathetic she was regarding what I had just been through. Carolyn is wicked smart, down to earth, and has a great sense of humor. These qualities made it easy for me to open up to Carolyn and provided me with a great resource for both ideas and self-examination.

She is incredibly perceptive and processes information remarkably fast. I don’t feel like I have to spend a lot of time explaining myself. She listens carefully and often seems to pick up on things I haven’t even fully articulated, getting straight to the core of an issue. With Carolyn, I always feel like I’m getting somewhere.

Carolyn is really good at adapting to my style. She can phrase things in a way I am best able to hear them and suggest actions that fit with my personality—things I’d actually do. She achieves a good balance between listening to my stories and giving me feedback, and she remembers the threads of our conversations even after a long time between sessions.

I came to Carolyn feeling trapped by my own and others’ expectations of who I was and should be. Her approach—which eschews quick diagnoses in favor of deep reflection and dialogue—helped me understand myself better. Building a trusting relationship through therapy helped me become more open and vulnerable with myself and other people. I feel much lighter and more confident today.

I used to believe that successful marriages were built on compatibility. Carolyn taught me they are built on intention. Like many people with an analytical mind, I approached conflict as something to understand, solve, or overcome. Marriage, however, doesn’t ask us to solve another person. It asks us to know them. That distinction changed my life.

Carolyn creates a relaxed environment where you can explore the full range of emotion and experience in your life. She gracefully balances caring and nonjudgment with humor and direct challenge. Our sessions are dynamic; she invites me to engage actively in the work. We have talked about things I had long been afraid to say aloud, and through talking, those things lose their power over me.

My husband and I came to Carolyn during a crisis in our marriage. She helped us regain solid footing through insights we’ll use for a lifetime. Our sessions were filled with laughter, not just tears. She was excellent at making connections, remembering details from previous sessions, and offering ideas that fit our individual personalities. During trying moments, we still ask each other, “What would Carolyn say?”

I had not realized that I was sleepwalking; I had not hoped for transformation. Never pushing me, only guiding and questioning and helping me listen to my own answers, Carolyn helped me understand that I am strong enough.

When I first met Carolyn, life had thrown me a curveball. I didn’t see a path forward and was fighting against a future I could not have expected. She was patient, smart, kind, and sensitive, guiding me into new ways of thinking without ever pushing me. My situation didn’t change, but with Carolyn’s help, I did.

Beginning is simply a conversation. You can read more about what the first appointment is like, or request a time to meet.