A counseling practice honored to serve the community of Colorado Springs
About Abide
Welcome! I’m so glad you’re taking the time to learn about my practice. My name is Colleen and I counsel adults in how to abide with themselves and others. To abide means “to endure, to withstand without yielding, to wait for, to remain steadfast or faithful to…to dwell in.” While I don’t know why we all experience suffering in life, I do know healing requires the hurting parts of us to be known. My mission is to invite you to cultivate an abiding, compassionate presence towards your pain so you may live more wholeheartedly.
In the therapy room, I lead people in tending to any unresolved past wounds while also equipping them to feel secure in facing future challenges. I believe the skills I teach my clients are both life-long and life-altering. My drive as a therapist stems from my own healing work and self-discovery, which is a life-long process. Understanding what it’s like to be on the other side of the chair deepens my appreciation of the work my clients do. I commit to holding any uncertainty or discomfort with grace and empathy.
Learn more about Colleen and her work in these local Colorado features: The Gazette (Internal Family Systems), The Gazette (Art Therapy), Voyager Denver, Shoutout Colorado, or find her on Psychology Today.
Qualifications
I am a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the state of Colorado and a board certified art therapist (ATR). I hold a dual Master of Arts degree in art therapy and counseling and a Bachelor of Arts degree in art therapy and psychology with a minor in studio art. I have completed level 1 and 2 trainings in Internal Family Systems therapy through the IFS Institute in 2020 and 2023. My professional experience includes over seven years of experience in the field, most of which has been in private practice focusing on individual therapy with adults. Recently, I have expanded my work to provide group therapy to adult survivors of cancer and I co-facilitate an IFS art therapy group. I also have experience facilitating art therapy groups for adults, adolescents, and children in psychiatric inpatient and partial hospitalization settings.
Driving PHILOSOPHIES
•While we can’t change the past, we can change how our past experiences impact us in the present, no matter how long ago something happened.
•As humans we are imperfect, but wholeness is our truest identity. Healing is the continual process of learning to live more and more into our wholeness.
•Even the most destructive behaviors are an attempt at creating safety, stability, or soothing. Addressing the pain that drives the behavior is often more effective than focusing solely on the unwanted behavior.
•Shame creates stagnation, while compassion and acceptance are powerful agents of change. Compassion and acceptance are not the same as condoning, permissiveness, or passivity.
Areas of Focus
Depression & Anxiety
Integrating trauma
Boundaries & codependency
Grief & loss
Life transitions
Spirituality concerns
Self-esteem & self-acceptance
Creative expression
“Healing for healers”
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