Mackenzie TrotterMA, LMHC, ADHD-CCSP
"When people don't have any curiosity about themselves, that is always a bad sign." Irvin Yalom
You reading this is a good sign to me, as it sends the message you have an interest in examining your life. My approach to therapy uses an eclectic humanistic style - although this might not mean anything to you now, it will - as I enjoy sharing everything I know with the hope what I've learned will create additional meaning in your life.
If you decide to take this journey with me, you and I will start by peeling back layers upon layers in pursuit of truth, no matter how painful, as truth and taking responsibility are keys to living a meaningful and purposeful existence. Contrary to popular belief, I don't see my role as someone to make you feel better. I see my role as a listener, challenger, and supporter of confronting the things you don't want to look at.
After our first meeting, I hope you leave with more self-awareness than you came in with, feel motivated to change, and are a little scared of what's to come. One of my favorite quotes is, "Living safely is dangerous," - Irvin Yalom; so when you're ready to dive in to the nitty-gritty - the good, bad, and ugly of your existence, I'll be here, ready to help explore the chaos and messiness of life with you!
Below are brief summaries of what I use in therapy, just in case you're curious on what some of our work would look like in session.
Existential Therapy
Existential therapy really digs into those big life questions-like what life means, how we make choices, and how we handle the idea of death. Basically, we work towards tackling these questions directly. This approach is all about helping you understand yourself better, especially your values. The main goal is to help you figure out who you are, what you believe in, and how to match your behavior to your values. The only way to love yourself is to behave in ways that you admire. Existential therapy is designed to move beneath the mask, so that you can live authentically and admire who you are. The other large piece to existential therapy is embracing the suck through facing and slaying your dragons one dragon at a time. Prioritizing comfort, certainty, and pleasure is a recipe for disaster - as these are the enemies of growth. So we'll work on being excruciatingly honest and taking responsibility for looking at the parts of ourselves we don't want to look at.
Choice Theory / Reality Therapy (CT/RT)
CT/RT basically says we have more control over our lives than we think. It suggests that almost all of our behavior is chosen, and we can manage and change these behaviors to better meet our needs.
So in session, when using CT/RT, we'll work together at figuring out what you want from life-what your goals are-and then determining which of your behaviors are getting in the way and what behaviors could help. CT/RT is very action-oriented; it's not just talking about change but actually planning and doing things differently. Again, the main themes are personal responsibility and empowerment.
Personality Theory
To dive deep into self-awareness, I use Carl Jung's personality theory and the MBTI (inspired by Jung's research). I use this to help figure out why you do what you do and how you relate to other people. Knowing your personality type can boost your self-awareness, improve your relationships, and overall just help you deal with daily life more effectively. It will also help you with self-acceptance, acknowledging your strengths, but also help you see the parts of you that could use some TLC. Identifying which parts of you need some TLC is done through shadow work. Shadow work is staring directly at the parts of ourselves we want to hide out of shame or disgust.
I have an ENTP personality type, which is nicknamed the Debater. One day I asked ChatGPT what working with an ENTP therapist would be like - I think its response is spot on!
"An ENTP therapist would be like a creative and open-minded counselor who loves exploring new ways to help people. They can understand what's going on with you, even if you don't say everything. They're great at solving problems in unique ways and would often have interesting conversations with you, challenging your thinking. However, they might not always stick to a strict plan, which could be good or bad, depending on what you like. Some people might enjoy their dynamic and flexible approach, while others might prefer a more organized therapy session. In general, an ENTP therapist would make therapy exciting and help you discover more about yourself through innovative and creative methods."
Attachment Theory
An attachment style is basically a pattern of how we connect with other people in relationships. About 50 percent of the population are securely attached. They feel comfortable getting close to others and are comfortable with themselves. As for the other 50 percent, some of us worry a lot about relationships and about being accepted. If you're in this category, more than likely you're probably scared of being alone, so you'll change things about yourself to fit in. And then some of us prefer to keep our distance - if you fall into this category, more than likely you have difficulty giving up your independence but also want to connect with others - however, when in A relationship, you probably find yourself finding every flaw with your partner and pushing them away when they are close just to miss them when they are gone. These patterns start to form when we are infants, and influence how we behave in relationships as adults.
Understanding your attachment style can be really eye-opening. It helps explain why you might behave a certain way in relationships or struggle with particular issues like trust or intimacy. The goal is to work towards developing a more secure attachment style. This involves building self-awareness, improving communication skills, and fostering healthy, supportive relationships. It's about helping you feel more secure, not just in your relationships with others, but also in your relationship with yourself.
Professional Background / Focus Areas
Mackenzie holds an independent license as a Mental Health Therapist and a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Mackenzie has worked in the mental health and substance use field since 2013. Mackenzie is a certified ADHD professional, which involves an intensive training targeted at managing ADHD across the lifespan. In addition to ADHD, she has experience treating a number of mental health issues, including anxiety, perfectionism, relationship issues (including sex therapy), personality disorders, and sex addiction. Mackenzie also works with individuals seeking freedom from addictive and compulsive sexual behavior in a group setting, bi-weekly on Thursdays from 6-7:30pm.