Ann Wheeler

Greetings from a therapist/coach with a sense of playfulness and curiosity!  I would like to introduce myself in terms of my values, as I believe that working with someone who shares values similar to your own makes the work of change and growth infinitely easier, for both you and me.  

As you may have guessed, I value humor and a sense of lightheartedness.  I strive to act on those values on a daily basis, personally and professionally.  Life is hard; difficult circumstances arise for all of us.  How we respond to those circumstances determines how well we tolerate the situation, and how much we allow difficult circumstances to dictate the choices we then make in our actions.  Humor allows us to take a break from our dark and heavy thoughts, and to open up with forgiveness and kindness towards ourselves in those dark moments.    

Second to humor and lightheartedness, I value learning.  In the last 20 years, many advances have been made in understanding the mind and how it works.  In Western culture, mindfulness and the use of present-moment awareness has seen a growth like no other in the treatment of mental health disorders of all kinds. PET scans have allowed us to understand the functioning of various areas of the brain and how functioning is often impaired by trauma, stress and disease.  I strive to continuously engage in learning about the mind, attending trainings and retreats, reading and practicing skills that I have learned to ensure that I am, like my clients, living my best life.  This knowledge that I have accrued about the mind I offer as a gift to my clients.  

Finally, I value creativity.  When I let go of fear and step into creating something, I am engaging my mind’s capacity to focus, and nurturing a part of myself that yearns for connection to a larger sense of meaning in the world.  It is freeing, and deeply gratifying.  I encourage all my clients to tap into their creativity, to experience something larger than their often rigid conceptualized self.