About Side By Side Counseling
Don't Be Surprised by the Occasional Curse Word
Most people walk in braced for the somber version. Hushed voice, careful nodding, everyone very, very respectful of the fact that something hurts.
That's not how it goes in here. I'm kind of a goofball, so expect the occasional curse word, a joke at my own expense, or some wit when a moment turns heavy. Done with care.
The humor is doing a job. I keep it light so we can go hard places, because lightness is what makes hard places survivable.
Tell me what your week cost you and my heart will hurt for you. Four minutes later I'll crack a joke. Both are honest.
You'll Do More Than Talk About It
This is Gestalt therapy, a word you can forget. In practice: I'd rather build an experiment than have a conversation.
The problem doesn't stay a topic. It comes into the room and we find out what it does to you.
So instead of describing the critic in your head, you give it a voice. I keep a cast of stuffed animals for this: a chicken who criticizes everything, a dragon who wants to bite everyone, an angry bird who blows everything up.
Meanwhile I'm watching the tight jaw, the moving hands, because your body tends to know first. When a memory keeps ambushing you, EMDR gives your brain a structured way to file it, so the memory stays and the ambush stops.
Nobody Is Going to Study You From Across the Room
Being analyzed from a distance is its own kind of lonely. Being handled is worse.
When the feelings get big I show up in them with you. You can come apart in front of me and I won't come apart with you.
You stay in charge of the pace and what we touch. I'll say the hard thing, and if something's hidden or costing you, I'll name it kindly.
The Name Comes From a Poem
The name Side By Side comes from a poem by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik. It says what I want this room to feel like even better than I can.
Oh, the comfort,
the inexpressible comfort
of feeling safe with a person,
walking side by side down life’s road,
having neither to weigh thoughts
nor measure words,
but pouring them all out,
just as they are,
chaff and grain together,
certain that a faithful hand
will take and sift them,
keep what is worth keeping,
and with the breath of kindness
blow the rest away.Dinah Maria Mulock Craik (1826–1887)
Chaff and grain together. That's the deal in here. You don't have to sort your thoughts first or tidy them up so they sound reasonable. Bring the messy version, and we'll sift it together. What's worth keeping stays. The rest can go.
And we do it walking next to each other. That's why I named this Side By Side Counseling. We're in it together.
You'll Find Out What You Actually Came In For
Nearly everyone arrives in a crisis. Sleep is gone, the fighting at home won't stop, a regular Tuesday takes everything.
The crisis gets handled, and it turns out to be the doorway rather than the room. A few months in, you'll understand what you're facing, what feeds it, your part in it, and what brings relief.
Quieting the symptom was never the goal. I want to know whether you can speak up now, whether you can feel your own body, and whether anyone stands near you.
Your guiding star keeps us pointed at living in color, not just getting through.
About Tania Henderson, MA, LPC, NMIT, ACS
I became excited about becoming a therapist at age twelve, when I watched a guru connect with a troubled child who had only known how to push others away. His skill seemed like magic…. and I was hooked. I soaked up classes in counseling psychology and dabbled in Eastern philosophy with the hope of gaining different perspectives on how to relieve human suffering.
When it was time to put theory into practice, I worked in inpatient and foster care settings where children and families strove to find a semblance of normal in the middle of chaos. For a time, I facilitated a group for survivors of childhood sexual abuse through the WINGS Foundation. While in this program, a few participants in the LGBTQ+ community disclosed how much trauma they regularly endured just to be true to themselves. The group became a welcoming community where all members were believed, respected, and supported. This proved to be a rare gift for many.
These experiences allowed me to see what raw trauma looks like, the sophisticated ways we protect ourselves to endure, and the resilient nature of the human spirit. In 2003, I chose to step out on my own and start a private practice, focusing on adults dealing with the impacts that trauma, anxiety, and depression/bipolar disorder cause. To truly meet my clients in those deep spaces, I moved away from traditional talk therapy and immersed myself in experiential modalities like EMDR, Gestalt, and psychedelic-assisted work.
Here's the part that goes on the wall:
- Regis University, Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology
- Nationally Certified Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado
- Natural Medicine in Training License in Colorado
- Fully trained in EMDR and have continuing education with the EMDR Center of the Rockies
- Certified Clinician in Gestalt Therapy through the Gestalt Institute of the Rockies
- Certified Clinical Trauma Professional with the International Association of Trauma Professionals
- Certified in Psychedelic Support Services through Integrative Psychiatry Institute
- Approved Clinical Supervisor through the Center for Credentialing and Education
When not in the office, I love to sample from the buffet of life. I've done some acting, improv comedy, martial archery, vocal performance, and my new favorite, paddleboarding. On quieter days, there's nothing better than curling up with my geriatric cat, watching Kung Fu Panda, and putting together a puzzle.
Bring It. Let's Do This Thing
Send a note through my contact page, and we'll set up a free call.
Then we'll find out what your chicken has to say.
Give Your Arm a Rest
You've pressed that ball down through more seasons than you can count.
Let it come up on purpose, with help, and see how your days feel with both hands free.
Fill out the contact form to request your free consultation, and tell me as much or as little as you'd like about what you've been pushing down.