Abbie Balat, LPC

If you asked me what my childhood was like growing up, I would have said that it was 'normal'. It wasn't until much later that I realized that I not only have no recollection of many childhood events (happy, angry, and sad moments alike), but I also felt physically stuck in my stress and distanced from my own experience. It was a desire for connection, both within and outside of myself, that led me on a lifelong path of learning, growing, doing and being in my own life as a human and therapist. 

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I have experience working in outpatient and residential settings treating children, adolescents, and their families, as well as adults working through challenges with behavioral and mental health concerns. I specialize in working with trauma and PTSD throughout the lifespan, family conflict, and dissociation - fancy ways of saying I specialize in working with the nervous system (or nervous systems together) to help people identify how they can soothe, regulate, and respond to the information that their bodies and brains are sharing with them in the context of their relationships. I have a special interest in working with adopted youth and their families, as well as high achieving individuals (school, sports, professionally) who struggle to gain mastery over their internal emotional landscapes.

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My approach to treatment is designed to meet you where you are - leaning heavily on parts work (IFS), emotion focused techniques, and somatic awareness, while incorporating elements from play therapy and interpersonal neurobiology. I am in the process of becoming Phase 1 certified in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT), which looks at how your early life relationships affect how you are wired for connection with others to assist in understanding how your past experiences might be keeping you stuck in the present moment.

 

I often see individuals and families suffering from anxiety, depression, or intense stress that impacts their ability to form positive connections with others, execute day-to-day responsibilities, and feel 'in control' of their emotions, thoughts, and actions. Together, we will grow into your strengths, get curious about what is keeping you stuck, and ​​​explore how to move into meaningful connection with oneself, others, and the world you live in.

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