Candace Arnott

As an LGBTQ+ therapist, I can help clients cope with the negative emotions, concerns, fears, and self-questioning that can arise in the face of adverse social expectations. It is my sincere belief that everyone is entitled to a safe, supportive space. I work with my clients to understand and explore how their presenting problems (ie anxiety, depression, self-image) are influenced by gender identity and sexuality.

I practice a dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) approach, in which I cover a combination of mindfulness practices, such as meditation and body awareness, and cognitive-behavioral techniques, such as identifying Mindfulness-based therapies shown to be effective in treating a wide range of mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, and stress. Concentrating on helping individuals to improve their emotional regulation, relationships, and overall well-being.

I work with clients to address and manage all kinds of stress and anxiety. Having a safe space to discuss your worries and concerns is the first step to reducing the negative impact stress can have on your life. We will look at how you are currently managing your anxiety and identify any unhealthy patterns that may be making your stress levels worse. We will discuss your specific symptoms of anxiety and develop a plan to deal with them in a way that helps you.

Assisting clients to identify the stages of grief and their place within the stages, learn productive coping mechanisms, and provide healthy methods to be able to move forward. Grief over a loss may never truly leave you, but learning to live with your losses, honor your emotions, and celebrate your life, can make all the difference.

Expressive arts therapy incorporates elements of all forms of creative expression into a multimodal expressive form of integrative psychotherapy (Knill et al., 2005). Often I encourage the use of multiple forms of creative expression to articulate their inner world, including drawing, painting, photography, music, poetry, and role-playing.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy stresses the role of thinking in how we feel and what we do. It is based on the belief that thoughts, rather than people or events, cause our negative feelings. Assisting the client in identifying, testing the reality of, and correcting dysfunctional beliefs underlying his or her thinking. Helping the client modify those thoughts and the behaviors that flow from them. CBT is a structured collaboration between therapist and client and often calls for some homework.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is the treatment most closely associated with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Therapists practice DBT in both individual and group sessions. The therapy combines elements of CBT to help with regulating emotion through distress tolerance and mindfulness. The goal of Dialectical Behavior Therapy is to alleviate the intense emotional pain associated with BPD.