Let’s just get right to it. What is it that you really want? When is the last time you sat down and really asked yourself that question? Just take a second and think about it. Close your eyes. Now, take your hands and imagine yourself pushing every trauma, pain, stress, loss, hurt, past situation, and current stressful situation completely away from you. Take a breath. Now, without any issues within grasp, who are you? What still remains? What does your heart really crave to have fulfilled?
It is not an accident that you are being asked these questions right now during this time of your life. For whatever reason, THIS is your moment. These questions deserve answers because they are the questions that are fueling your life whether you realize it or not. If we aren’t operating from a place of being who we were created to be, then it creates problems, stress, depression, anxiety, and pain. If we aren’t chasing down the dreams that make us feel alive, purposeful and fulfilled then this, too, will lead to problems, stress, and pain.
However, just imagine – for as long as you can – that you know exactly who you are from your core. Imagine that you have a life that is on fire and on purpose. On a day to day basis, what does that look like? What emotions come up as you are living this beautiful life? Imagine yourself doing and being all the things that you imagined yourself doing and being. Some of these dreams may even stem from when you were a child. Wow! What an amazing adventure!
Now, what if I told you that these things were possible? What if I told you that you don’t have to live the way that you have been living with the problems, hurts, pains, depression, anxiety, and all the other things that torment you? It can be different if you dare to imagine. It can be different if you dare to do something different than you have never done before. YOU can be different.
As a mental health therapist, I absolutely love joining people that I work with on this journey. When we partner together in counseling and build a therapeutic relationship in the therapy room, you can expect a lot of work around identifying who you are, addressing how things from your past and present situations may be influencing how you show up in the world. Together, we will spot the self-sabotaging behaviors that keep you from living a rewarding life…and we will work on changing them! We will confront the unhealthy thought patterns and self-talk that contributes to unhealthy beliefs that you hold about yourself and the world in which you live. In counseling, you and I will work on developing new ways of thinking, reacting, and dreaming.
As you make changes through the counseling process, you’ll notice your self-esteem growing and your relationships becoming stronger and more secure. Your sleep will be more restful and you will feel more joy and peace than you did before. You’ll notice that your sadness, depression, and anxiety have lessened and in those places, you’ll find laughter, confidence, and purpose.
If you are ready for real and lasting change, then I am ready when you are. Let’s get started.
About April Reeder, Licensed Professional Counselor in Tulsa, OK
Even though April has not been an Okie her entire life, she has claimed Oklahoma as her home. She has lived here since 2007. She fell in love with the people, and thus made the easy choice to stay here. Before moving here, she attended college in Mississippi and pursued a Psychology and Biblical Studies degree. Her accolades during her college years included having a four year paid scholarship to play college basketball, was a scholar athlete, won the Greek award her senior year of college, was made chaplain of her class, and of course earned her degree in Psychology and Biblical Studies. She then moved to Tulsa, OK in order to attend Oral Roberts University. At Oral Roberts University, she graduated with honors and got two masters degrees which were: Master of Divinity and Master of Counseling.
As a licensed professional counselor that has been in the field for 12 years, she has been honored to work with many different populations in all types of settings. She has worked with both children and adults, and she does not have preferences. She has a strong belief that it doesn’t matter what age you are when it comes to dreaming for yourself and wanting more for your life. She has worked in outpatient settings, inpatient settings, jails/prisons, and from people’s homes. She has worked with people facing criminal charges and possible prison time, foster children, children with reactive attachment disorder in an inpatient setting, parents, single moms, millennials, people with addictions, and the list goes on. The type of therapy that she draws from is eclectic. No two people are ever just alike. Her approach when it comes to therapy is that treatment needs to be individualized, not cookie cutter. What may work for one person may not work for another. As a result, she draws from several theories that include cognitive behavioral therapy, gestalt therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, strength based therapy, and solution focused therapy.