Counseling and Psychotherapy for Dealing with the Human Condition
*with Asheville Therapist and Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Rachael Chatham
As human beings, there are certain experiences that we all must contend with. There is simply no escaping the fact that we will all experience relationships with other humans, some of which may feel nurturing and supportive, and others that may not. We will all have emotions, thoughts, feelings and body sensations that will lend themselves to both pleasurable and painful encounters. We will all have dreams and desires about the elements that we’d like our lives to consist of and people or situations that we have an aversion toward, or things that we fear. This is the human condition.
As an Asheville Therapist – Whole Self Therapy offers counseling for individuals as they navigate their way through this complex experience of being human is my passion and inspiration. It is my aim to both support and gently challenge any ways of being that are no longer serving you while exploring your life situation or transition. By taking advantage of our personal and professional relationship that develops in therapy, I feel that you will be better able to make the changes that you want to make in your life.
These Are Sacred Conversations
I believe that the therapeutic relationship has the capacity to heal old wounds and create new ways of being in the world. My clinical style is warm, engaging, intuitive, and depth-oriented. I want us to get to the roots of whatever is holding you back, keeping you stuck or blocking your path toward progress. Let’s go beyond brain-hacks and positive thinking. Let’s navigate the terrain of your wise and mysterious unconscious mind and explore your soul’s journey. Let’s go deeper.
Relationships Are Hard!
I specialize in assisting individuals with relationship struggles. This may be a relationship with another person or several people, or your most important relationship: the one that you have with your Self. Connection to others is vital to our understanding of the world around us, and is a key factor in how we make meaning out of our experience. When the challenges of staying open and vulnerable in relationship seem to outweigh the benefit of feeling connected, exploring what is arising for you with a trained professional can help to clarify what is happening, and what you may be needing.
Healing the Core Issues
We have all experienced trauma and pain of some sort during the course of our lives. When these experiences happen, they have the power to alter our self-concept or our understanding of how the world works. These new core beliefs can stay with us for a lifetime, unless we take the time and energy to unravel the knots inside and process our experiences and their impact on our psyches. Together, we can look closely at the circumstances in your life that changed you and do the healing work to repair and integrate the parts that can lead to wholeness.
Let’s Stop the Pattern
Sometimes we feel compelled to respond to people and situations in old, habituated ways that do not currently serve us. The question of ‘why’ may haunt us as we move through the world: ‘Why am I lashing out? Why am I pushing someone away who I really want to keep close? Why do I keep finding myself in this same situation, which I say I don’t want anymore?’ Through inquiring deeply into your experience together we can discover the roots of your patterns and find new ways for you to understand and relate to your experience.
Be Heard, Get Seen
Express yourself, share your perspective and explore your experiences with a trained, licensed professional who can offer an empathic presence and objective feedback.
Find Balance
Determine what the most important elements are in your life that serve you and discover ways to create boundaries and prioritize your own resources of time and energy.
Make Shift Happen
Honor the challenges that life is presenting you with, discern what you may need in order to move forward into your future or what may require letting go or transformation.
Cultivate Self Compassion
Rediscover your own experience with a curious mind and an open heart. Deepen your understanding of your own patterns and uncover your natural gifts and strengths.
Discover New Ways of Being
Mindfulness meditation increases awareness and lowers anxiety, giving us freedom to respond to life’s stressors in novel ways, creating new possibilities and outcomes.
Create Connection
Clarify your intentions, align your values with your actions, make your heart’s desire known, find your voice and develop your sense of Self.
Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor & Asheville Therapist
Hello! I'm Rachael...And the way I see it, all beings are inherently whole; comprised of many different parts of one larger and unifying Self.
- We all have different aspects of ourselves including mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual components.
- Each of us has elements in our personalities and belief systems that we are conscious of, and there are components of our character or motivation that may be driving us subconsciously; via our unconscious minds.
- We also have vulnerable child-like parts, emotional parts, and protective parts that are all seeking to be seen and heard within our personalities.
When these different parts are understood, regulated, and honored for their unique gifts and aims, we may experience that union as inner peace, feeling centered, or as a general sense of well-being. This balanced and integrated place within is where I aspire to guide you in our work together.
Holistic Counseling with Asheville Therapist Rachael Chatham
I use a variety of treatment modalities in addition to traditional ‘talk therapy.’
Along with discussing what is happening in your life and providing feedback, I also use other therapeutic modalities as well! These include somatic or body-based awareness, creative methods such as guided imagery or the use of visual aids, or cultivating awareness and compassion through mindfulness practices.
As a relational psychotherapist, I have an eclectic style of working and draw upon several systems of healing in which I have specific training.
Buddhist Psychology & Mindfulness
I am a certified Buddhist Psychologist, which essentially means that I incorporate some of the wisdom teachings of Buddhist philosophy into my psychotherapeutic work. This includes self-awareness practices such as mindfulness as well as self-compassion and other meditative exercises.
Transpersonal/Spiritual Psychology
My education is rooted in Transpersonal or Spiritual Psychology, a modality that focuses on accessing the God/divine/source energy within. This is done by connecting with the creative parts of your psyche. Through practices such as dream-work, active imagination, and imagery exercises we can tap into your innermost wisdom.
Schema Therapy
As a certified Schema Therapist, I can help you determine which unconscious patterns are keeping you stuck in your life, and together we can work on finding some healthy alternatives. We can also explore what your coping strategies are, and where they are doing you a disservice in your relationships and life. Together, we can build and practice skills to move you into the life you want.
Eye-Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing
EMDR is a trauma treatment that uses bi-lateral stimulation through eye movements, sounds, or tactile stimulation in order to heal traumatic experiences. I use EMDR with clients who have a history of acute or complex trauma or negative core beliefs.
Whole Self Therapy® PLLC