Candyce Ossefort-Russell - Psychotherapy - AEDP

Qualifications

M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute

Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas

Certified AEDP Therapist (see www.aedpinstitute.com)

Licensed Supervisor for LPC Interns

Practice Description

I see therapy as a relationship in which we work together to help you find access to your inner resources and resilience; to help you learn to feel fully; and to help you grow into your authentic self, your vitality, your passion. My job as a therapist is to guide you all the way through the joys or difficulties you face so that you can emerge into this kind of transformation.

When we can allow ourselves to feel the full range of emotions that naturally flow through us when life becomes challenging, the emotions ultimately lead us to positive change. Yet it can be overwhelming to bear suffering or big feelings alone. I facilitate a secure environment where you will feel deeply valued and will not be alone with your feelings, where you can begin to feel safe with your emotions.

My style is authentic, affirming, and genuinely engaged, and I approach each person as an individual with a body, a mind, and a soul. I view painful or challenging aspects of life as doorways to learning rather than as signs of sickness needing to be cured.

The therapeutic process involves exploring together your sorrows and suffering, longings and concerns, joys and hopes in a moment-to-moment way. With gentle curiosity, we will invite your experiences into the safety of the here-and-now by attending to your body and its sensations, to your imagination, to what you notice as you share your stories with me, and to what is happening in our relationship. Research shows that healing experiences in the context of a secure relationship actually rewire the brain and make change real.

I have a relentless belief in the human spirit, fierce faith in the process of transformation through suffering, and deep respect for my clients and their individual journeys. It is my honor and privilege to do this work.

I publish a free monthly newsletter that is inspiring and educational. If you're interested in signing up, go to www.candycecounseling.com/subscribenewsletter.html

Additional Information

I’m never finished learning. I’m passionate about education—both personal and professional. It’s important to me to continually grow as a person and to sharpen my skills as a therapist. I read, take courses, go to workshops, and participate in my own personal growth on a regular basis.

Specifically I study neurobiology and mind/body integration, spiritual issues (with a particular focus on dark night of the soul experiences and on mindfulness practices), bereavement counseling, group therapy training, existential issues, and writing and poetry.

I am involved in an intensive training program in a way of doing therapy called Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy. This training is deepening my work dramatically by supporting and strengthening my emotionally engaged, transformation-based, healing-oriented style of doing therapy, and by enriching my skills for helping clients to safely experience emotions in the present moment in therapy. (See www.aedpinstitute.com for more info)