WELCOME! ... and thank you for reading
The best part of working as a psychotherapist is cultivating meaningful relationships with all kinds of folks. The ten years I have worked in mental health has allowed me to know people I would not have known otherwise, and I am without a doubt better for it. I have worked as an educator, case manager, and now as an independently licensed clinician. I have worked and/or volunteered with TMC Hospice, La Frontera Center, Harmony Hospice, St. Elizabeth's Health Center, Tucson Counseling Associates and Tucson Lasting Connections.
On the journey to become a psychotherapist, I have taken on various other roles. I have worked in the creative arts, early childhood education and as a yoga and meditation instructor. Each of these experiences has brought me a step closer to what I do now and are integral to who I am and what I bring to each therapeutic relationship.
Alternate roads I have walked include traveling through foreign countries and living as an expat. These were the most intense and humbling of times. Moving through countries as different from each other as one could imagine taught me how similar we are as humans in our needs and desires, and how varied and unique our interpretation of our life circumstances are.
I have come to believe that our experiences (particularly from our early years) are stored in our bodies and influence our beliefs and behaviors. Thus, I find value in exploring the mind-body and nervous system responses to life events. I also find it beneficial to look at how overarching systems and social constructs influence our lives, as we are interconnected and interdependent in family, community, friendship, and work. Inevitably, existential concepts make their way into the conversation and help guide the larger questions which come up.
I have a particular interest in grief, loss and end-of-life matters. I am shifting my practice to focus more on these issues. I am a Certified Compassionate Bereavement therapist through the MISS Foundation: https://www.missfoundation.org/compassionate-bereavement-care-certification/
I am also working on a Grief Certification through the American Institute of Health Care Professionals:
https://aihcp.net/american-academy-of-grief-counseling/
It takes courage to get to know oneself more deeply and find contentment in that knowing. I have reverence for the human experience and know how much vulnerability it takes to begin psychotherapy. I welcome all who are ready to invest in the process of self-exploration.
You can find more information about my practice at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/erin-plattner-tucson-az/489408