Pamela Dobbie

As a Licensed Professional Counselor, I believe in the healing power of the therapeutic relationship as much as, and if not more, than the styles of therapy. When we work together, we focus on helping you feel comfortable in your own skin, to be able to trust your own inner wisdom, have better self-esteem and let go of what no longer serves you. We will work to reduce the impact of stress, trauma and childhood wounds, reduce overwhelm and anxiety, improve mood and build resilience so that you can have love-filled connected relationships, a sense of groundedness and a more fulfilling life and career.

My approach

I meet you where you are, and we begin from there. My approach is a “Root Cause” approach, where we focus on finding the root cause of your distress and the issues you are facing. We address the root cause rather than use a Band-Aid approach this way we resolve struggles so that you can live life more fully, comfortably and confidently. As for specific modalities, I lean toward Somatic Therapy, EMDR, and Brainspotting. Additionally, I incorporate Cognitive Behavioral, Gestalt, Attachment Focused, as well as Functional Medicine Diagnostics.

My focus

I help clients with anxiety, depression, trauma, burnout, overwhelm, career dissatisfaction, chronic fatigue, and chronic illness. We work to overcome obstacles, gain clarity, increase self-confidence, have more energy, more resilience, and have more vibrant health so you can better handle life's challenges and live with more ease, fulfillment, and joy. We work together and adjust as needed to best suit your goals and needs.

My communication style

I do my best to provide an open, warm, nonjudgmental space. One where you can come as you are. I am without agenda but not without a plan or focus to help you with your challenges. I encourage you to bring to therapy and to each session what you would like to work with. I also ask for feedback so I can tailor therapy to what works best for you. I am interactive and sometimes solution-focused. I do give “growthwork” as opportunities to experiment with new actions and tools. I reflect to you what I see, guide when needed, and teach to enrich understanding.

My journey to mental healthcare

I became a therapist to help people who were struggling. Initially, I began my journey as a Substance Abuse specialist after several people in my life and former career had suffered and died due to depression and addiction. I wanted to save people from this end. I soon began to see that trauma and childhood wounds were at the core of many of my clients challenges so I intensified my focus on trauma work and eventually chronic pain and chronic illness. Personally, I have had my own journey with depression, anxiety, grief, and trauma. I met amazing therapists along the way which motivated me to do this work and continue to find better ways to help my clients solve their problems. I see healing, recovery, and wellness in my practice regularly, and this drives me to continue this work.

My goals for you

My goal for you is to achieve a sense of okayness. To experience healing for whatever brings you to therapy. We collaborate to see “look under the hood” and make a plan and take action toward your desired outcome. We discover what motivates, what undermines, what disempowers and what empowers, what has worked in the past and what hasn't. I believe there are reasons we reach goals and reasons we don't, so we look deeply. This is part of the “art” of therapy and what makes being a therapist so interesting.

My first session with you

The first session is a bit different from our ongoing sessions. This is the intake session in which I begin to learn about you and what it has been like to live your life, and what is bringing you to therapy now. Our first session is strong on information gathering and may feel like a lot of questions. Some I ask to help formulate a diagnosis and treatment plan for our work together. I will go over modalities I feel are helpful, and we will clarify your goals for therapy. (This we will fine-tune in subsequent sessions) It is also a time where you can ask me questions and get clarification as well.