About Me
Hey there! My name is Audrey Terkelsen and I love helping couples and individuals through the process of therapy. Let me just say that I love therapy! I love what I do immensely. I wanted to work in the mental health field ever since I was child. The privilege to sit with someone in their pain and walk with them through healing is one of the most rewarding things to me. I get to watch people face their demons, slay their dragons, and overcome barriers they had not previously believed they could. I can’t imagine doing anything else.
You see, I already know something special about you. You are tougher than you think and capable of more than you realize. I realize that sounds absolutely ridiculous right now. No one would blame you for thinking that the oppositive is actually true of you. Feeling empty, overwhelmed, lost, or lonely does not make us feel like we have much strength. But the fact that you are looking for a therapist already shows you want to do something about your situation. Some part of you believes there is another way and that things don’t have to stay the way they are right now.
That’s where I can provide some help. There is so much more to the process of therapy than learning some tools or tricks or even doing a worksheet. Those things have their place but you want to actually enjoy life again. You don’t want to feel like you’re struggling to keep your head above the waves. You want to enjoy swimming again if I can keep the metaphor going. In order for that to happen, you need someone to walk alongside you and support your process of healing. None of us can carry all of our burdens on our own and we were never meant to. That’s my hope for you, that you can have the experience of not having to hold all of your burdens by yourself. The experience of being able to show up to a space to express yourself in any way you want, about anything that you want, and without judgment or any negative repercussions is part of how I see therapy.
Audrey Terkelsen, MA, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
How I See Therapy
I also very much see therapy as a process. There is a beginning, middle and end. There is some sacredness about it. It is a process that is worthy of awe and respect because it is hard work and takes so much courage to do this. Like I said before, you are capable and tough and certainly have the courage to do this. That is my premise and what I believe to be true. When enough of you can see that truth for a moment, that is when there is an opening and the way I see it, space. The space is what creates the opportunity for change.
My clients who have given me the opportunity to walk on this road with them have experienced healing and unburdening and have found they like themselves and their relationships more than ever before. They took a risk in being seen and known in the space of therapy which meant their pain could be witnessed in a way it never had been before. Therefore, their pain could be healed in a way it had never been before. That in and of itself is amazing, to let yourself be seen and known. I respect and value my clients immensely. I recognize that this process is not easy and yet often imperative to taking further responsibility and ownership for your own life and your relationships.
My Training
And I will mention that I have extra training to better serve you with information that can help you in this process. I have completed a trauma-informed certificate of advanced study through Syracuse University. I have also been trained in two levels of the Gottman Method and completed level one of Internal Family Systems Theory training. If those things are just white noise, that’s totally okay too. We can talk about this further as much as you are interested. I am exceedingly relational in nature both inside and outside of the therapy space. This means I lead with thoughtfulness, intention, and compassion. So I take all the training and information and theories and combine that with who I am and what you need to give you a safe and secure space to do this work. I will hold what’s true about you even when you cannot accept or believe in your value and worth. My aim is to give you an experience of yourself that you have not previously had so there can no other option but for your awareness of yourself and compassion for yourself to grow. Both for yourself and for all of your relationships and people in your life as well. Finally, I know it takes unbelievable courage to let someone be with you while you face your pain. Regardless of what you may be feeling in this moment have the courage to do that in a way you’ve never done before.