Hezekiah Franklin

Hello, I am Dr. Hezekiah Franklin, a licensed clinical psychologist. I employ a host of therapeutic modalities that can be tailored to your individual needs. I excel at working with depression, anxiety, trauma, and relational concerns by helping you to understand your story and identifying what you can do to reclaim agency in your life.

My approach

I work collaboratively with my clients to help them author the life they want by helping them to attune to their needs. I use a client-centered approach that empowers you to validate and grieve your losses, clarifies what is important for your life, and implements a goal-oriented approach to cultivate those values. The primary therapeutic approaches used to accomplish this include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Internal Family Systems Therapy, EMDR, and Positive Psychology.

My focus

The ideal client for my style is introspective and curious about why they do what they do and who they are. They are also open to and ready to make changes in their life to experience their fullest potential. Most of the problems we experience are heavily informed by the stories others have told us about ourselves and that we now tell ourselves. We cannot help but live and relive our stories, and it is only once we understand those stories that we begin to grasp the leverage necessary to write the next chapter on our own terms. Depression, anxiety, trauma, and relationships are all context-dependent, and as clients work with me to understand this context, they will learn to engineer their own freedom.

My communication style

Space, compassion, and honesty are what clients can expect in our sessions. We live in a culture that has sadly run very dry on all of these, yet because each is an essential ingredient for change, I help clients cultivate them in every session and every area of their life. We need space to slow down and evaluate our lives away from the constant hustle and bustle of everyday demands. We need kindness and compassion with where we are to soothe the pain and disappointment of being there. And we need honesty with ourselves to elicit the courage necessary to take appropriate steps forward.

My journey to mental healthcare

From a young age, I noticed people felt very safe around me, as they would share very personal and vulnerable things with me without prompting. Although I have gotten better at it over the years, I have never needed to learn how to listen to people's stories. I became a psychologist, however, because I wanted to listen AND empower folks to transform their lives. I believe that human life is infinitely precious, and every moment of suffering is a cosmic injustice. I do this work because even if I can only lessen that suffering a very small bit, that's one person that is more loving to themselves and the people around them. And I do believe love is truly the answer to everything.

My goals for you

Goal setting is essential to moving forward, even if by very small increments. Goals are like gravitational forces that pull us in certain directions. Likewise, a lack of goals can leave us floating listlessly without a sense of direction. With me clients will set both S.M.A.R.T. goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-limited) and learn to make their imagination work for them. Imagination drives innovation and we will leverage this gift of the human mind to create the kind of life we want.

My first session with you

In our first session, you can expect to share your story with me so that we both begin laying a foundation for understanding who you are. You should not begin working on a car without understanding first how it operates. Otherwise, you risk making matters worse. This principle is exponentially true when it comes to human beings. Every one of us has unique ways of thinking and feeling based on our family of origin and the significant experiences that have happened to us. The best clinicians know this truth and value understanding both the context of the individual and the individual themselves.