Anya Hicks (she/her)

My Approach to Helping

I believe that every person is born with intrinsic value while utterly dependent on caregivers who may do a good job or fail. But they do the best they could with what they had at the time. As you mature and adjust to others in order to fit in, your life becomes fragmented depending on the values, roles, and supports in your life. You may be vigilant and work hard to prevent disapproval, but this limits intimacy and trust. Do you control how close others are allowed into your world? You also may be a peacemaker and give to others more than they give back. Do you feel resentful or unappreciated? Do you bury anger and fear only to have them show up unexpectedly and hurt others? I do not judge people or behaviors. I believe in body-mind connection and the healing power of greater integration. There are several effective techniques, but my favorite is Brainspotting which allows you to calibrate your own processing, release stowed away trauma and rewrite your story.

Why I Became a Therapist

My career path to therapy was not linear, but every stage of life fits in now like a glass tile into a beautiful mosaic. Journalism taught me how to interview people with ease and it became handy for case management at Aging and Disability services. Stay-at-home parenting gave me appreciation for playfulness and humility to learn from younger generations. As a linguist, I worked inside court rooms and jail, assisted patients during acutely painful moments and at the end of life. But most of my involvement had to do with "side effects" of clients' circumstances. I desired to become and trained to be a healing presence in this world providing hope and tools for the clients to live better. I knew therapy was a good career because some gifted therapists helped me deal with similar struggles I help my clients. Some of the adversities in my life include loss of a parent at a young age and diagnosis of ADHD.