Cheryl Hejnal

Hello! My approach begins with getting to know you as a human being and relating to you with respect. That's an authentic experience that you can request from other human beings! I'm sorry if you have not been experiencing a lot of that lately. Human beings heal best in physically and emotionally safe relationships. Therefore, I treat all of my clients with Unconditional Positive Regard. Unconditional Positive Regard is not a friendship but an important relationship state. I listen for the truth of your own personal experience. I communicate with you in a peaceful, non-violent manner (no shaming or raising of the voice [fair warning... I swear a bit, though!], crossing any boundaries or values, or dismissing your personal experiences). If a rupture happens between us for any reason. I will role model repair conversations to address any issue. Many of us did not experience skillful communication from our family of origin. But, just because you didn't get taught that skill does not mean you can't learn it now! So, I will hose you down with grace and understanding as needed... mostly because if you are coming to me, you need some. It's kind of like watering a plant! Grace and understanding are some powerful medicine for the soul. If you are part of the LGBTQ+ community or suspect you may be, I need you to know that I embrace each person's unique story related to personal discovery and disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Therefore, I provide a safe space to discuss all aspects of your life, relationships, and experience. I also support you as you navigate the additional challenges related to your identity. In our work, we will explore your perception of your most painful experiences and how they may have negatively shaped ideas you have developed about yourself or the world that may be untrue. Even if we need to look at a hard truth, we can do it gently and with compassion. We can pull off the shame, look at it together, and make sense of it. You will also get a shit-ton of psychosocial education so you can understand the symptoms you are experiencing and the best practices to treat it. I fucking love a good mental health skills worksheet and will give you lots of them! I will help you build the capacity to practice healthy coping and support your voice to become unbound. We often start therapy feeling that we can not assert ourselves for fear of how others will respond to us. I can teach you how to resolve conflict by talking to people about the values and boundaries they have crossed. I also show you how to take responsibility if you have been the one who crossed boundaries or hurt another person. It feels good to function at this level, and then when this phase of treatment arrives, you get to graduate! This does not mean that you will never experience a painful situation or uncomfortable emotions again, but that you'll know how to handle it when it happens. I am not your forever home, just a pit stop to come back to as you may need tune-ups from time to time. Fun fact, this stuff truly works if you commit to the process.