The Center for Intentional Living, LLC

WHO AM I:

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Hello, my name is Hillary (she/her) and I'm a fully licensed clinical social worker (LMSW) born and raised in Michigan. I identify as a lifelong learner, a creative, an artist of verbal and written language, and a curious connector of people and ideas.

 

I focus on learning as much as I can about the art/science of psychotherapy as continuing education - not only in classrooms - but I also take pride in learning from conversations everywhere... whether those are discussions in the therapy room, or chatting at grocery stores, on dance floors, at the park, etc., and during open-hearted discourse with friends and family.

 

I love to gather experiences, lessons, and interactions with people from all backgrounds, cultures, and walks of life. I'm forever a student of cultural anthropology, so I love to travel the country and the globe at every opportunity I get in order to learn more about people and the world we live in.

 

These intentional adventures into learning further my own journey and also I seek these experiences so I can pass on the stories and lessons that people choose to (or happen to) impart on me along the way. This is why I say that when a person decides to invest their time/energy/finances/etc into therapy, they are creating a ripple effect of goodness emanating outward to all people around them... even positively impacting those who you may simply cross paths with in line at the gas station or bus stop once, etc. These lessons are all connected, and I'm continually honored and humbled to witness and share in these stories - wherever and with whomever they occur.

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MY LEARNING EXPERIENCE:

 

I earned a BA in Psychology with a minor in Women's and Gender Studies and a specialization in Sexuality and Conflict at Michigan State University (Go Green!) before finishing my MSW at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) with a concentration in interpersonal practice and mental health.

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I completed my one year graduate school internship at the University of Michigan Health System Department of Psychiatry focusing on anxiety, mood, and behavioral disorders.

 

After graduation I committed to spend the year in the West Indies on the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts volunteering with children/youth individually and in groups who were living in the local residential children's home. There, I had a treatment focus of trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, behavioral, and relational work.

 

There, I learned to surf (poorly), hung out with the monkeys (there were more monkeys than people on the island. Some would come visit me, uninvited, in my hut at work), watched the sunsets and the cruise ships come in and out.

 

I learned a lot about people, the world, my values, the balance of rest/work, and my practice overall... and I was excited to bring that all back home with me... even though I also never wanted to leave (two truths at the same time).

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I ventured back to the States when I was recruited by the University of Michigan Health System Outpatient Psychiatry clinic again, this time to complete a an additional two year post-MSW fellowship where I chose to continue my learning to specialize in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) to treat patients ages 3 years old and up. All of my foundational training emphasized skills-based therapy; researched-backed strategies which allow participants to enjoy long lasting change even after the therapy has ended.

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Currently I maintain a full time private practice and also work as a therapist on a clinical trial with University of Michigan studying psilocybin for treatment resistant depression (TRD) via COMPASS Pathways. This is the only site in the state of Michigan licensed to do Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy at this time, but the culture and field are progressing quickly and I am grateful to be at the forefront of the western medical field adding to the already vast body of cultural and historic knowledge base.

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MY PHILOSOPHY:

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Over time, my interest in contemplative wisdom,  mindfulness, vulnerability, radical self-compassion, and of course, intentionality have informed my psychotherapy practice in addition to the above evidence-based treatments that I was so honored to have received as a base philosophy. I practice using an eclectic style where I use many treatment approaches to individualize my approach with each person.

 

I know that everyone has access to their own truest Self, even after years of papering over that Self for various reasons in an effort to protect. Therapy is a safe space to better understand the environment you live in now and the one grew up in. It's a place to get curious about your own values, desires, behaviors, purpose, etc., and the intentional connection to Self, others, and community across a lifetime.

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In addition to understanding psychiatric wellness and illness from a strengths-based approach and a secularly spiritual perspective, I have a special interest in self-worth, identity, psychedelics, and coming of age issues. I work with many people who have existential questions like, "Who am I? How do I fit into the world? What kind of person do I want to be? How can I think about my future self now versus later?" Of course, these insights often arise at any transition and across many stages of life and my therapy room is open to all. I absolutely love witnessing and journeying alongside every human and every story, no matter what that may be comprised of.

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Because I also studied sexuality and conflict, I have a special interest in sex, love, relationships, honoring one's sensual energy, and the intersection of how gender dynamics (individually and collectively) affect us all in the modern world. I am a sex-positive human and therapist who welcomes and celebrates all types of family structures and relationship arrangements. ​
 

I am passionate about working with individuals of every walk of life and at every stage of life. I truly enjoy the opportunity to watch patients not only decrease their unwanted psychiatric symptoms, but also to thrive and grow into their own assessment of the best versions of themselves.

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MY STYLE:

 

I believe therapy is a joint venture that should be enjoyable as well as useful. I have a transparent and collaborative approach and my personal style is warm, lighthearted, and creative. My patients would say that therapy with me is an engaging, playful, and often even a humorous experience.

 

Even if we're laughing together, I'm known to be a safe person to "call you on your stuff." I use storytelling and the therapeutic alliance to support a person in doing the work necessary to be an agent of their own change. Therapists are safe people in safe spaces where you can think about things differently, make focused plans, and stay accountable to yourself based on your own set of values.

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Two simultaneous truths are that a therapist's job is to work themself out of a job AND no matter how well a person feels over time, therapy is forever a useful resource to be used as little or as often as necessary. I like to say that when therapy is distilled to its essence, THERAPY IS:

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1) A safe, nonjudgmental, confidential space

2) Where all the focus is on you for a specific amount of time

3) A container of a time/place where you think and feel freely: planning ahead of time and processing afterward (keeping a therapy notebook helps) in order to get the most out of it

4) A completely third party perspective who will never tell you what to do/give you advice... but instead, ask questions so you can figure out what's most important to YOU

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Perhaps that means your therapy journey will begin or resume now. Perhaps there are other places which are therapeutic where you can process with safety and intention. Perhaps both. Perhaps neither.

 

Whatever works for you, I'm here, along with many other therapists in many other safe spaces who are ready to partner with you as you take the next steps forward.

 

Please let me know how I can support you in your journey.