I know what it’s like to search through profile after profile of therapists, wondering how to choose the right one. I know what it’s like to show up for your long-awaited appointment, anxious but eager to finally be heard and get relief. I know what it’s like to feel that familiar discouragement, feeling like the therapist just isn’t getting it, is spending too much time talking about themselves, or something just feels off in some way. I’ve been there and it’s no fun.

I find that the clients that stick with me the longest tend to share these characteristics: perfectionistic, high-achieving, people-pleasing, saying yes to everyone else while chronically saying no to yourself. Your childhood may not have been traumatic in the typical sense - you may have had all of your needs provided for and an overall stable and even seemingly happy home, but something inside of you always felt a little off. Maybe you felt sad for no reason a lot, or you were the “easy” kid who got good grades and was eager to help others. You struggle now when asked what you need because you don’t really feel like you need anything - you just know you often feel overwhelmed, tired, irritable, generally carrying the weight of the world. You may have everything you’ve ever wanted, but you struggle to enjoy it. It’s probably taken you a lot to even get to this point of reaching out to a therapist, because you have always been so good at pushing through and taking care of yourself. In fact, you’ve probably struggled to seek therapy because you’re not even sure what to say is the problem.

If you meet some or all of these characteristics, I can’t say enough to encourage you that you are doing the right thing by taking this step. It’s so hard to be vulnerable in this way, and especially to continue showing up for yourself week after week once you’ve started therapy. I value creating a really safe environment for all of my over-achieving, over-functioning clients who have rarely or never had a space like this just for them. I will help you validate that seemingly small thing that keeps showing up and keeps triggering the same feelings over and over, no matter how much you can logically tell yourself it’s fine or not a big deal, and I will help you understand why that thing keeps hitting you so deeply. I will help you understand yourself better, understand why certain things bother you so much, and eventually work to help you cultivate the peace, joy, and self-love that you deserve.

One thing I really value is allowing and encouraging my clients to continue showing up for themselves as long as they want to and are finding it helpful. For many of my over-achievers, once you start to feel better, you start to question if you still need this space for yourself. Maybe you’ve even been discharged by a therapist in the past you said they felt you had met your goals or didn’t have anything left to talk about. I promise that these are things you will never hear me say. For someone who has been hyper-independent and high functioning their entire life, I hope that you will feel something deeply healing about having a space just for you, where you know you will always be welcomed and encouraged and invited to just show up with no agenda and without needing to perform. You are always welcome, but never required, to show up with a plan and an agenda for our sessions. You are welcomed and encouraged to just show up.

No matter your age, race, gender, orientation, socioeconomic status, or background, you are welcome here. All I require is that you respect my time and yours and abide my our agreed upon terms of the therapeutic relationship. If you do these things, I look forward to cultivating a therapeutic relationship that is as long as you want it to be. I love seeing clients through multiple life changes and seasons and seeing the growth that builds through each one. I love being able to look back at where you started and where you are now. You are capable of so much and deserve so much, and it’s such an honor for me to be part of this with you.

-Alison Stagg, M.A., LPCC

Ashland Theological Seminary, M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, State of Ohio (E.2505592)