Hey friend…
Life is wayyy too short to be stuck on the hamster wheel of high-achieving, perfectionism, and people-pleasing…endlessly cycling between feeling like you’re too much and not enough…
…wishing that all the time and energy you’ve spent trying to dig your way out from under the anxiety and trauma and hopelessness actually got you somewhere. Instead it just feels like life’s passing you by. Like everyone knows something you don’t know. Like they’ve figured out the cheat codes for success and purpose and a meaningful life but didn’t bother to clue you in.
Ugh, it’s exhausting just thinking about it. And so lonely. I get it. And I got you. There aren’t really cheat codes for life, but if there were, here’s the first one: You actually don’t have to keep trying to figure this out alone.
Ali Arteaga, lpcc
Trauma Therapist
Where you are
Sound Familiar?
You Feel Stuck
No matter how much your body begs you to slow down, you can’t help but rush from thing to thing, trying to be everything for everyone with your endless to-do list…make time for your people, say yes to everything so you don’t disappoint anyone, oh yeah, and don’t forget to practice self-care! It’s too much. The day either ends with you blowing up at your partner and hating yourself for it, or zoning out on social media with a few glasses of wine because that’s all you have energy for. Even though you’re exhausted, you toss and turn all night because the non-stop thoughts you’ve outrun all day catch up with you. Only to be met with the familiar feeling of dread when your alarm goes off in the morning. Where’s the off switch?
You Feel Alone
Growing up watching TV shows with the most epic friend groups, you expected to have a thriving social life as an adult. And then reality hit. Turns out, relationships are messy and risky and require you to let yourself be known. Which is ultimately what you want, sure. You want genuine connection, to feel a sense of belonging, to stop feeling so lonely. But it’s also f*cking terrifying. As much as you feel trapped in a cycle of inauthenticity and one-sided relationships, it’s what’s familiar. And familiar feels comfortable.
You Feel Defective
For as long as you can remember, you’ve felt broken. Like there’s something fundamentally different or wrong about you. After hearing for so long that you’re too sensitive or needy or need thicker skin, it’s hard to tell anymore what’s their voice and what’s your voice. It all sounds critical, and it all feels true. So you wear the words around like caution labels, forever feeling like you’re on the outside looking in, resigned to a life of feeling chronically misunderstood, and constantly masking and masquerading as you build a life around a counterfeit you. Life’s mission is to either hide yourself at all costs or treat yourself like a DIY project. And both seriously suck.
Where you want to be
How I Can Help
Trauma Therapy
Trauma has a way of sticking on you like dog hair. It’s always waiting for you around the corner, defining your present, and driving the bus of your life right off a cliff. It feels impossible to ever shake free from it all. That’s where I come in. I’ve lived it. I’ve been to the edge and back. And I’m not afraid of the fog or shadows or unspeakable stuff you’ve been through. Trauma has already stolen so much. Don’t give it another second.
Anxiety Therapy
Always waiting for the other shoe to drop, never feeling like you can really let your guard down, lost in the sauce. Ugh, no wonder you’re burnt out. Just thinking about the anxiety spirals makes me dizzy. I’m sure you’re over them. So here’s the deal. The life you dream of, the one where you set boundaries and prioritize your needs and trust yourself? It’s not a myth. And it doesn’t just have to stay a dream.
Identity & Self-Esteem
All this time you thought you were running toward something. Turns out, you’ve been running away – away from the fear of failure, of not being enough, of what change might mean for you. But no amount of running or striving gets rid of that chronic feeling of unworthiness. And you’re so sick of it. The good news? The authentic, confident you is still in there, just waiting for an invitation to come out and play.
You deserve to feel like you’ve been struck by f*cking lightning…
…in every nook and cranny of your life. No, that’s not asking for too much. No, your expectations aren’t too high. No, the stuckness you’ve been swirling in doesn’t mean you suck. That whisper within you nudging you toward something more just might be the wisest part about you. That’s the part of you who will set you free.
behind the name
Fio
Fio means become in Latin. Fio Counseling was born from the idea that to be human is to be on a journey of becoming. None of us ever ‘arrives’. And maybe that’s the point. Therapy is a unique space for you to explore the brutal and beautiful aspects of being human. It’s a space to embrace your own becoming.
Take the First Step
Having the right therapist join you on your healing journey can make all the difference.
Schedule a free 20-minute discovery call to determine if we’re the right fit.