What is Dr. Carver’s approach to therapy?
What can you expect when we work together?
Emotional Healing
When it comes to therapy and mental health, I don’t believe in a “quick fix.” Instead, I believe in finding long-term solutions to lifelong struggles. For some clients, this could mean collaborating once a week over the span of two to three months. For other clients, this could mean a one year collaboration. In both cases, the goal is to cultivate a more peaceful mind and create long-lasting, positive change.
Insight and Understanding
My therapy approach consists of gentle exploration and a variety of focused interventions. I will create a safe space in which you can recognize connections between the past and the present. I believe with increased awareness comes a more profound sense of control and an ability to act with intention.
Empathy, Wisdom and Heart
When people seek professional help for the first time, they often feel anxious or defeated because others have told them to “just get over it.” “It” could be a recent problem, such as losing your job or going through a difficult break-up. It could also be something that has been troubling you for years, such as a low self-esteem, depression, or chronic worrying.
No matter the reason you’re seeking help, you can expect an approach filled with compassion, empathy, and heart. As a psychologist based in Austin TX, my style is flexible and collaborative. You’ll have the freedom to discuss whatever is on your mind in a comfortable environment without feeling judged or criticized. Sometimes life gives us too much to handle on our own. Let’s work together to find solutions and unlock whatever may be holding you back from living your best life.
Medicine for our times! Walk and talk therapy is a counseling session that takes place in the outdoors. To a bystander, it looks like you're on a casual stroll with a friend. But from your perspective, you're processing the ups and downs of your life with a licensed professional and receiving valuable emotional support and guidance. Walk and talk therapy is a practice of moving forward - you are literally moving forward in space but also moving forward in terms of progress and self-growth.
Walk and talk therapy may make it easier for you to open up! There is less direct eye contact, which can decrease anxiety and help you feel more comfortable. To me, the conventional approach of conducting therapy behind closed doors contributes to the stigma of seeing a therapist. It makes it seem like an activity that should be hidden from society rather than celebrated. I’m ready to move therapy from the shadows into the light. Join me on the trail in Austin, TX!
Innovative Nature-based Healing
Seeking help for perfectionism takes courage. Clients often fear that giving up their perfectionist tendencies means settling for second best. Don’t worry! This hippie dippie therapist will not turn you into a lazy, self-indulgent person coasting through life. But I will help you let go of the overwhelming burden and pressure caused by a lifetime of perfectionism.
My hope is that one day you will experience what is your birthright — a feeling of unchanging, unshakeable self-worth. It’s an inner knowing. An undeniable recognition that your worth as a human being does not fluctuate. Our minds may tell us otherwise. Society may tell us otherwise. But from a capital-T Truth perspective, nothing can increase self-worth because it doesn’t change in value. Real self-worth is constant.
I teach my clients that chasing perfection is a game you are destined to lose. There is nothing wrong with “giving it your all.” But the trick is to give it your best and then be okay with the outcome. Easier said than done, I know. Therapy with a licensed psychologist can help!
Challenging Perfectionism and Teaching Self-Compassion
Culturally Affirming and Responsive
I welcome conversations about race, privilege, and oppression. I practice cultural humility. I do not expect my clients to educate me or speak for an entire group. I view therapy as an opportunity to name wounds ignored by people who benefit from existing power structures. I believes your trust is earned. My hope is therapy leads to growth, healing, and transformation. I seek to create an inclusive and safe healing space, particularly for women and non-binary folks (e.g. womxn, gender nonconforming, gender expansive, gender fluid, two spirit, or gender queer people). Read more about my values as a social justice-oriented therapist.
Are you Ready?
Are you ready to take charge of your mental health? Are you ready to invest in yourself? Are you committed to improving your life and feeling better? I believe it’s never too late to change the course of your life. However, you must prioritize your well-being and become an active participant in your life. You must be brave. If you’re hearing the call to take a stand in your own life, I’m here to help. No more sitting on the sidelines. Let’s go.
“What we don’t need in the midst of struggle is shame for being human.”