Monica C Hoyer MSW, LICSW
Monica C Hoyer MSW, LICSW
About Constellations Health LLC
Come Work With Me
What would "Happier" look like? - It sounds great... but where do you start? It can feel so overwhelming, but what if we can work on that together. Let's create a vision. Let's figure out what's getting in the way, then build the plan to empower YOU to (1) use the strengths you already have as the foundation to (2) build the skills you need, to (3) make the changes to reach your goals. It CAN happen. It can be YOU.
I take a holistic approach to therapy, with equal focus on the mind, body, and spirit and how they interact to shape our daily experiences. I have trained in a variety of evidence-based techniques to help you work "smarter," not just harder to optimize your total sense of wellness- simply put, to feel good and think better.
Life can be hard, and change can sometimes feel even harder. That's my part of the therapeutic relationship. After we identify your unique goals, it's my role to assist you in breaking down, understanding and navigating the changes that you're making so you can carry on those changes in a lasting way. I would really love to work with you.
Constellations Health LLC
I offer a wide range of counseling services for individuals, partners, and families. Services are tailored to meet your unique needs. After meeting with you to understand your goals, we work together to develop a strategy to build the skills and develop the mindset you need to achieve them.
(See below for more detailed service descriptions)
Through the client portal, you can stay connected between sessions and make or change appointments at your convenience. You may also sign up for focused therapy groups and look for support groups coming soon.
Unlock Your Potential with Constellations Health LLC
What could we work on together?
Overcoming Trauma
Intensely distressing or disturbing experiences can deeply impact an individual at every level of functioning in an enduring way. We describe this impact as "trauma." Trauma effects can be disruptive emotionally, cognitively, and physically; and can create problems in all aspects of living including, but not limited to, relationships, job/school performance and one's overall sense of self.
I use evidence-based techniques in a safe and supportive environment to help you heal from the psychological, emotional, and physiological impacts of trauma and improve daily functioning to be better able to move forward and achieve your goals.
Maneuvering through Anxiety
Anxiety is one of our most primitive, powerful and important states. As a state of "preparedness," Anxiety revs up the whole body, physically and mentally, to prepare for action. The problem is not that we have anxiety- without it, we would not survive. The problem is that the anxiety system can become overactive or overly-generalized resulting in a feeling of chronic or inappropriate "fight or flight."
I use a multi-disciplinary method of education, building cognitive and physical coping skills, creating healthy habits for resilience and improving problem solving and stress management to help you find balance with your anxiety system and maximize the healthy benefits while minimizing the distress.
Managing Depression
The biggest barrier to overcoming Depression is that we struggle with the two things we need the most in therapy- Hope and Motivation. With Depression, the body, mind and spirit are all equally impacted often making it difficult to engage in the daily activities of life. We both "feel" depressed and also think self-defeating thoughts, creating a cycle of more sadness and withdrawal.
I use Mindfulness Based CBT techniques combined with building resilience through self care and physical activity to create energy, improve mood and increase motivation to first,- feel better able to meet day-to-day challenges; then- to build long term changes in perspective and mindset to maintain a more positive outlook on the future.
Moving forward from Addiction
Perhaps the most literal example of a mind/body disorder is substance use disorder or "addiction." As research continues on the mechanisms of addiction, it becomes more and more evident how the brain changes both structurally and functionally over time creating problems for the entire person as a whole. For this reason, lifetime efforts in making and maintaining physical, psychological, emotional, social and behavioral changes are often required. In short, "quitting" is simply the first step, there is more work to do in staying quit.
I use a variety of techniques to assist individuals in their journey through recovery from substance use or other addictions. This includes building more effective coping strategies and healthier support activities and social connections. This can be both inclusive of 12 Step ideology or not depending on preference.
Improving your Relationships
Cultivating healthy relationships of any kind is hard WORK. And we are often unaware of how many layers of complex problems have evolved over time. Whether you are seeking to tackle a specific challenge or to proactively prevent future challenges, we can work on deconstructing old and ineffective patterns of interacting and reconstructing more effective ones to improve the health of your relationship.
Navigating Transitions and Personal Growth Goals
Life is full of transitions-both internally and externally, as we progress over the course of our human development. We undergo physical and cognitive changes, but we also change emotionally, spiritually, socially and with our values, goals, and sense of identity. These adjustments can often be difficult to navigate alone and can contribute to or aggravate secondary problems of anxiety or depression.
I use a Positive Psychology framework and a variety of techniques to help you identify your natural strengths, explore your beliefs and values, and build skills and health habits to overcome the barriers that impede your ability to adapt to changes in life; in addition to developing your sense of self-esteem and self-confidence to navigate whatever future changes may come.
Life Coaching through Specific Challenges
Sometimes there are particular obstacles or tasks in life that create a bit more challenge than we feel capable or comfortable managing on our own. Or maybe, after a period of making progress we start experiencing that "stuck" feeling while pursuing a long term goal. Consider personal coaching to get periodic support, guidance and/or motivation to help you achieve success in that personal or professional journey.