Leslie Valas M.A., MFT
Individual and Couples Counseling Therapy: for Depression/Low Self Esteem, Parenting Problems, Self-Care/Caregiving Difficulties and Relationship Problems
It can be hard to ask for help, especially when life feels overwhelming. When you feel depressed, bad about yourself or insecure, every day decisions may seem impossible.
If your marriage or relationship is not working, or if you are single and want to find the right person, you may long for more closeness and emotional intimacy. Your desire to feel loved, understood and cared for is reasonable, yet it may be hard at times to recognize these emotional needs. Not having these needs met can contribute to feelings of sadness, loneliness, depression and low self worth.
These problems are often rooted in the way we were treated by our parents. Most moms and dads want the best for their kids and do all they can to provide for that. But if your mother or father became parents without support, love or respect in their childhood, sometimes they are left ill-equipped to take care of their own children. Some people grew up in a home where alcoholism and addiction were part of the family landscape. Growing up in an alcoholic family can lead to a series of coping mechanisms that may you leave feeling overly responsible, afraid of losing control and consumed by guilt feelings.
This is a pattern that can repeat in adulthood. We care-take ourselves, and our loved ones in the same way that our original caregivers took care of us. If you’re a caregiver to your own kids, your parents, a spouse or others, old patterns of putting other people first without having your emotional needs met can leave you drained, resentful and depleted.
It takes a different experience to learn a new way of feeling and thinking about your needs and desires. Therapy offers a quiet place to hear your own thoughts and feelings and learn how to respond to them in ways that make you feel restored and taken care of. Through the process of listening to and honoring your own needs, it becomes easier to ask for and receive help from others. And feeling better leaves you stronger and more resilient, more capable of giving care in ways that really work for you.
To learn more about each of my specialties, please click the links below:
- Depression/Low Self Esteem
- Parenting Problems/Feeling Like a Good Enough Mother
- Relationship Problems/Marriage Counseling
- Adult Children of Alcoholics
If you’re ready to get started in therapy or want to find out more about how I work, call now for a free 30 minute phone consultation. Call (510) 594-4316.
