Heal at the Root

Create internal and external change

Online therapy and coaching. Licensed in Maryland, Colorado, and California

Ask about a free 15-minute consultation

The most important dimension of change may surprise you.

Shockingly, it’s not grit. It’s not a goal. It’s not even a vision. It’s not recognition of the obstacles in your way. And it’s definitely not a drill sergeant or a foot up your ass to kick you forward. Those last things don’t belong anywhere near forward movement.

What does belong and what is central, core, and vital to moving forward is acceptance. Hear me out.

Acceptance is not complacency. Instead, it’s a turning towards where you are with care and curiosity. There are exquisitely good reasons why you’re standing where you’re standing, whether it’s in a dead-end job, relationships that aren’t fulfilling, mired in habits that you are so over yet can’t seem to shake. You got to where you are because it served a purpose at the time you said ‘yes’ to whatever and wherever you are. You can’t just abandon that truth, clench your teeth, and vow to change from top to bottom. You have to know HOW you got here and WHY you took this path. Once you know and accept those realities, you can begin.

And for those of you who are stuck due to circumstances you very clearly did NOT choose (infertility, layoff, your own or someone else’s aging), I still want to make a case for acceptance. The sucky pain that you’re facing is often ugly, and we reflexively turn away or attempt to hold back the tidal wave of pain associated with what’s washing over us. Acceptance in these situations allows us to look squarely at what’s here. When every fiber of our being wants to scream ‘NO!’ to what’s showing up, we are empowered by looking it in the eye, squaring our shoulders, and moving forward.

I call the work that I do ‘updating your operating system.’ We go back in time to find the root where you formed your habits and beliefs and patterns, and we gently explore those moments in your life. Then, we bring you forward in time to now where your full agency and power reside (surprisingly, this inner knowing can be almost intimidating, and we’ll address that part of the process, too).

The Secret Sauce

Do you know the single variable that correlates in research with strong client coaching and therapeutic outcomes? It’s not modality (distance v in-person), it’s not theoretical orientation (hypnotherapy v CBT v ACT v EMDR v IFS). It’s not shared demographics between the client and the therapist. It’s not how many years of experience the coach or therapist has. It’s whether you, as the client, believe that I get you, that I have your back, that you’re emotionally safe in my presence.

The term for this magical connection is “alliance.” And I’ve felt it, solidly in my bones, when I meet with clients. I’ve also cringed in settings (like my clinical internship) where the client and I were basically thrown together with a hearty “good luck!” as we jumped into the deep end of the pool and it’s just…meh. Bland, blah.

“Define your niche,” insisted all of the business coaches I’ve worked with. “If you’re talking to everyone, you’re talking to no one,” they chirp. But here’s the thing: I’ve found that spark with people who share nothing in common with me, with people who are like my twin. With people who don’t know what they want when they’re seeking support, with people who know exactly what they want. With people who’ve been to years of therapy, with people who agonized for weeks, months, years before setting up their very first therapy appointment. With people who define their struggles in terms that are uber familiar to me, with people who show up with a topic that I haven’t delved into before.

I’m not talking to no one. I’m talking to you. And I’m extending an invitation to meet for ~15 minutes via Zoom to see if we have a connection that’s worth investing in.

Online sessions. Licensed in MD, CO, and CO.

Topics I know very well

Infertility

GI Disorders

Emotional Eating

ADHD

Career Counseling

Topics I’m solid in

Anxiety

Parentification

Grief

Post-partum struggles

Perfectionism

Analysis Paralysis

Caregiving

Topics I’m familiar with

In-law tension

Relationship struggles (individual support when you’re in couples therapy)

What’s outside my scope

Acute risk factors, including active suicide ideation and self-harm

Addiction and Substance Use

Bipolar I and II

Personality Disorders

Eating Disorders

Schizophrenia

Recent, destabilizing trauma

Court proceedings, including custody

What to expect in our free 15-minute consultation.

You’ll have completed a short form before we meet, so I’ll already have an idea about what prompted you to set up the consult. We’ll simply talk. I may ask you to elaborate on something you wrote in the form you completed to set up our meeting. I’ll likely outline a little of what you can expect in regular sessions. I have three agendas for our consultation: assess your risk factors, see if we’re a good fit for working together - specifically if I can deliver on the outcomes you’re seeking, and answer your questions.

There are a few likely outcomes from the consult: 1) We both have a solid sense that we’re a good match, and we’ll set up regular sessions to meet via Zoom; 2) We realize we don’t really have an emphatic “yes!” about moving forward, so I’ll send you suggestions for finding someone else to work with; 3) You want to deliberate before you make a decision, perhaps interview other therapists and coaches, and then loop back to me.

What’s the Process?

I worked for three years at an EAP (employee assistance program - essentially, VERY accessible therapy - easy to book, no fees for clients, and simple online interface - if your employer offers EAP services, it’s worth checking out - complete side note: here’s a blog post about why I left), and slightly more than half of the clients I worked with there were trying therapy for the first time.

“Um….er….what is this all about?” Most of them asked a variation of this question in the first session, or even before our first session when we were exchanging messages. Sort of a “what-am-I-getting-myself-into” freakout.

I usually explain coaching and therapy using a quote that’s so ubiquitous that it’s unclear where it originated, “Your mind is like a dangerous neighborhood. Don’t go in there alone.”

We’re going to walk through a 4-step process. Except it’s not very linear and we will jump around. Think framework, not formula. Personalized to you:

  • Recognizing: what’s happening in your life and why

  • Resourcing: anchoring you with tools before we turn on our head lamps and enter above-mentioned dangerous neighborhood

  • Rewiring: laying new neural pathways

  • Integrating: practicing new habits until they become reflexive

How long will it take? Truly unknown. Insurance typically requires that we set goals that tend to have a duration of 3-6 months, so that’ll likely be where we begin.

What will our sessions be like? The first one will be me gathering information so that I can document your care for insurance, so that session has a business-like tone. Sessions after that first one are much more organic and free-flowing. We usually build an agenda at the start of a session simply so that I don’t skip over topics you want to be sure to cover in that session. I’ll usually have a tool or a skill or a practice that I’ll have in mind for our time together, and we’ll dive in. I trust that all topics will eventually lead us to where we need to go, having worked with hundreds of (perhaps now more than a thousand) clients - we just end up where we’re supposed to be. Here’s where my witchy, woo woo self shows up. It just happens. True magic enters.

It doesn’t always feel magical. Sometimes we’ll get into an eddy, but even that can be informative and ultimately useful. We’ll get there together. And by ‘there,’ I mean addressing what you came to therapy to tackle.

Client Testimonials

  • If it hadn’t been for Maggie’s help, I really don’t think I would have been able to regain my emotional balance anything near as quickly to the point of stability I feel I am at currently.

  • Maggie’s information-based approach helped me reframe things effectively and find new tools to use for handling stress, anxiety, and decision-making.

  • I experienced Maggie as an extraordinarily gifted active listener. Deeply rooted in her own centeredness, Maggie has insights that are more than just perceptive – they are healing. Each session prompted an invaluable step into wholeness.

  • Maggie’s good at guiding me to what I already know, but I haven’t brought to consciousness yet.

You don’t need to keep plodding along, wondering if you’ll ever have the shifts you’re seeking.

The first step to making positive change in the way you live your life is to schedule time for a short consultation with me.

Imagine the aligned version of you. You’ll feel so at home in your life that when others seem to disapprove of you, you’re unruffled, grounded, and clear about whether and how to address their judgment. You’ll be able to confidently pull apart what belongs to you and what belongs to others and proceed accordingly. That’s possible.