Elizabeth Bolton (she/her)

I am trained in several approaches to treating trauma, and the ways that it intrudes on life. I utilize Narrative practices as a guiding practice for us to process the events of your life (and the lives of generations before as needed) and how you want to use the strength you've gained to purposefully go forward. We will also work directly on the symptoms that cause distress and establish coping skills that you can use as soon as we talk about them!

I am a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) through iaedp (International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals) and have been working specifically in the eating disorder field since 2017, but have experience beyond that. I have over a year and half experience in eating disorder treatment at the partial hospitalization/intensive outpatient levels of care and then joined a primarily eating disorder focused private practice.

Anxiety presents in many ways, from irritability, to perfectionism, to procrastination, to panic attacks. Or all of the above! I help clients struggling under anxiety learn to recognize their inner strengths and how to use that strength to get to the root of the anxiety and move in the direction you desire.

As a post-modern approach, Narrative Therapy centers you as the expert of your life. My role is to ask questions to bring you through processing your life in a way that allows for you to re-examine and re-narrate in a way that is empowering and clarifying. By doing so, we'll discuss carrying that empowerment into how you "write" your life going forward.

I have advanced training in Emotion Focused Family Therapy which is designed to help loved ones work with those in their lives that are struggling with mental illness (eating disorders and self-harm in particular), and other behavioral concerns. I frequently use this approach to augment direct work with my clients so they have the greatest amount of support possible, especially when they aren't in my office.

I primarily use somatic therapy techniques in trauma, body image, and emotional awareness development. Our bodies and minds connect in more rapid ways than direct thoughts, and until we develop our awareness of that connection, we are very likely to misunderstand what our body is trying to tell us which can create more distress than is necessary. This is also important for athletes to strengthen as they train so they can best utilize the skills they are developing.

Whether through cutting, hitting, or using a "good" behavior to the point of hurting ones self, many people will try to soothe distressing emotions or thoughts by hurting themself, usually beginning in their teen years. In session, we will talk through the purpose of the behavior, what it "gives", and find safer alternatives to achieve the same goals, while also working through the pain which led to the self-harm in the first place.

Whether or not you're seeking ongoing therapy with me, I offer the Strong Interest Inventory for career exploration to those in their last 2 years of high school and beyond. No matter why you're looking for a new career path, let's use your interests and personality strengths to find some new possible paths forward! See https://SageBlackbirdTherapy.com/StrongCareer for information on the process to schedule your collaborative career exploration session!