therapy that doesn’t simply ask, “how does that make you feel?”

feelings are important. but they’re not the whole story.

at reflections, we think therapy can go beyond validation without depth.

We’re real people, too! We believe we can get more meaningful work done without the overly polished approach, and we think generic platitudes can keep people stuck. While every therapist at Reflections is unique, we share these common perspectives about our therapeutic approaches:

  • Empathetic, but not indulgent. We want you to feel heard, valued, and understood. But we’re not going to be your Yes Man. We believe that automatically affirming every behavior or decision blocks opportunities to examine what’s really motivating you, and what could be keeping in the same frustrating patterns.

  • Honest, but not harsh. We can and will say the difficult things while maintaining compassion and respect. We also will consider what emotional regulation tools you have to process tough takes safely. Our job is to help you consider different perspectives, recognize blind spots, and examine what's keeping you from moving forward.

  • Relational and collaborative. The therapeutic relationship is one of the most reliable predictors of clients meeting their goals (there’s forreal research on that!) Earning your trust to do this work with you is one of your first priorities. We also see ourselves as partners more than experts. Yes, we know what we’re doing, but this is your life we’re talking about. You call the shots; we call out what’s not aligned.

  • Direct and intentional. You’re doing to this to accomplish something, right? Whether you’re seeking therapy in regard to a specific issue or see therapy as a reliable way to continually invest in yourself, we don't want therapy to feel like endless processing without a clear sense of purpose. You’re always in charge of that purpose and it can change as many times as you need it to.

In a nutshell, we offer compassion without coddling, accountability without shame, and insight that leads somewhere.

why “reflections”?

a note from Nina

Silly answer: I freaking love disco balls.

Serious answer: One of my favorite phenomenons about therapy is how often clients will recreate certain relationship dynamics with their therapist. It’s nothing any of us are doing wrong or should feel weird about; it’s just how humans work. In this way, both the therapist and the client are reflecting important information back and forth. The good juicy progress and change comes from turning that information into empowerment. Reflections captures what I believe therapy is really about: creating space to look more honestly and closely at ourselves, our experiences, our relationships, and the patterns that shape our lives. To be kinda corny, we’re shedding light on these pieces of ourselves.

Sometimes the word reflection carries a certain calm, slow, easy vibe to it. Let’s pause and reflect on that. But I don’t mean reflection as soft self-discovery. I mean holding up a mirror and being willing to actually look at what's there. I truly believe that accountability and empowerment can only exist together. The awkwardness, disappointment, and hard work of accountability is worth the freedom, choices, and agency that comes with empowerment.

Jokes aside, a disco ball is a good metaphor to what I dream for my growing group practice. It takes one source of light and reflects it in many directions. I don’t want to have 5 therapists who all do things the same way. I think there’s so much power in valuing that different therapists bring different perspectives, experiences, and areas of expertise, while sharing a common commitment to thoughtful, honest, relational therapy.

I want Reflections to communicate that one source of input limits what we can see about ourselves and our lives, and that being brave enough to allow reflections to shed light on what’s really there is maybe one of the best commitments we can make to ourselves.

Ultimately, Reflections is about seeing yourself more clearly—and using that clarity to create something different.

P.S. Did you know that Louisville, KY produced about 90% of disco balls in in the U.S. during the 1970s and 1980s? How cool is that?