Cathy Delgado Standerfer, LPC-A

What is it like to work with me? 

Therapy with me involves working experientially, meaning I become an investigator of your inner world, using your body’s and mind’s reactions and responses-moment to moment- to unearth, awaken, and eventually disconfirm harmful core beliefs. It is important to me for us to develop deep safety and trust together. Many people I work with wish to get to the root of their suffering, and this involves befriending the parts of you that may be difficult to acknowledge or understand. It can be difficult and scary work at times but also immensely rewarding. By doing this, we can begin to uncover unconscious learnings that have been too painful to face or change without support. We’ll work together, holding these unconscious learnings with gratitude for how necessary they were in the past while also softening the hold they have on you in the present, bringing you into better alignment with your current values and desires. I welcome messiness, complexity, and nuance. All parts and emotions are welcome. And I excel at being responsive to whatever it is that your unique nervous system and history need for healing to take place. Meaning, that I deeply respect and want to nurture the wisdom you hold inside yourself.

What therapy approaches and modalities do I use? 

• Internal Family Systems (IFS)
• Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB)
• Attachment
• Coherence
• Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP)

I am incredibly fortunate in that I’ve studied under and continue to train with recognized experts in these fields. 

Your responses and reaction in relationship with me organically guide what approach I take at any given moment in session. My approach is warm, accepting, endlessly curious, collaborative, and responsive to your inner world. The therapeutic relationship and our connection become the springboard from which we deeply explore issues of authenticity, connection, loneliness, relationship challenges, purpose and meaning, wants, needs, and desires.

What issues are typically addressed in therapy with me? 

Do you feel stuck or as though you don’t know who you are or what you need to feel happy, connected, and fulfilled? Or maybe you know what you want, but you don’t feel up to the task or there are serious obstacles in the way. There are many valid reasons why this may be the case for you. For many I work with, there has been attachment trauma- including emotional neglect- early in life. In a nutshell:

We all long to feel connected, known, and loved. And when we don’t, it can create tremendous suffering in our lives. In response to our pain, we adapt and learn ways to cope- ultimately seeking to make intolerable feelings tolerable. And it makes complete sense to do this- it is our minds, bodies, and hearts resourceful way to lessen our pain. And this may seem to work, for a while. But our coping strategies- which can look like many different things (including numbing out, people pleasing, excessive caretaking/codependency, disconnecting from who we are and what we want, addictions, isolating, masking and hiding our authentic reactions and selves, etc.) come at a high cost: oftentimes it is our authenticity, sense of agency and well-being, and our relationship to ourselves and others that suffer.

Choosing a therapist

I am honored to help empower people to claim their inherent worth and inner knowing. And that starts before you even walk in the door! By this I mean that choosing the right therapist is such an important part of the therapy process. I encourage you to carefully notice how you feel and respond as you dive into your search for a meaningful match. The payoff of finding the right fit will be so worth it! Therapy can be life changing. It was for me, and I am forever grateful. And I wish for you your own version of healing- whatever that means for you. 

If this page resonates with you, I welcome you to reach out and connect to see if we might be a good fit.  

Warmly, 

Cathy Delgado Standerfer