About
Getting by or thriving?
Getting by is something you’re capable of doing, but you want something better for yourself. I want something better for you, too!
You are making some improvements on your own. But you are feeling stuck and want to take it to the next level.
You’re not entirely sure that a therapist is the next step to take.
Terri will show you how therapy can work.
Years ago, Terri broke her foot. After the fracture healed, Terri had physical therapy, which helped her regain strength and the full range of motion without lingering pain.
Even without physical therapy, Terri’s foot would have healed. But it would have taken longer, and she might have regained only 50% to 75% range of motion, causing ongoing physical consequences for the rest of her life.
Terri invested in her well-being by going to physical therapy. As a result, she was able to fully heal. She was no longer able to use lingering pain in her foot to predict rain. She couldn’t use the pain as an excuse for not training for the 5K.
Terri experienced other threats to her well-being, such as floundering after an ended relationship and a move to a new city. She tried a number of ways to feel better. Some worked, up to a point.
Being in a new place without a lot of people in her life left her with time to herself and her thoughts. This wasn’t always a pleasant place to be.
During a phone call, a friend suggested that she try therapy. She wasn’t so sure, but she remembered her physical therapy and how it improved her physical well-being. This made her think about how seeking psychotherapy could allow her to invest in her mental well-being.
Sure enough, it helped. Terri found a therapist with whom she ‘clicked.’ Together, they identified Terri’s past beliefs and behaviors that served her at some point but failed to help her now.
They explored relationship patterns. Over time, Terri was able to move from feeling stuck and disconnected to feeling whole. She gained the ability to connect in a deeper way in both established relationships and with new people in her life.
Terri transitioned from uncertainty and getting by to being able to make positive choices for herself and to live fully.
You too can heal, build a better relationship with yourself and others, and live fully.
Meet Lisa Shenk
My college major was in music. After college, I worked a variety of jobs throughout my twenties and thirties to support myself while also working in theatre. I reached a point in life where I realized that my time in theatre was over and that I had another purpose.
After much soul-searching and learning to listen to and trust my own inner voice, I came to know that my purpose is to listen to people, so they feel truly heard. As a result, counseling became a mid-life career change for me.
Struggling to find your purpose and deciding to figure out what is next are challenging. It is hard to put what you love on the back burner while trying to make a living. Once you decide to make a change, how do you make it work?
Believe me, I get it! I decided to return to graduate school and become a therapist after a looooong hiatus from the academic world. I haven’t looked back since.
My favorite thing about being a counselor is that I get to walk with people while they move from pain and confusion to rediscovering hope, a capacity for joy, and their true worth. It’s the best work in the world.
I sometimes wonder what took me so long to make the decision. But the truth is, I am reminded as I do therapy. I have a real passion for this work and consider myself lucky and privileged to be in this field.