Carrie Hammond, MA MFT
The Short Intro–3 Important Things
I want to start out by saying that if you are reading this page, you’ve taken a big step toward something that’s very important to you which means you are motivated, courageous and inspired to live a better life. I want you to thrive. I will equip you with your own emotional toolbox that we will build together.
I get asked this question by almost everybody so I will tell you now that I DO NOT subscribe to only one modality because I think it is short sighted and frankly stupid. I am highly trained in several modalities because I need to pick and choose depending on who walks through my door and what they need.
I have faced many hardships in my 53 years including the premature birth of my son at 24 weeks, an insane amount of miscarriages and most recently, battling breast cancer.
I am intimately familiar with despair, panic and anxiety. I want to walk this path with you so that you can find your own unique strength, resilience and determination to crush what’s in front of you. You need a change and you need a guide.
One other thing - if you’ve read through many bio’s of therapists recently, you might have read a lot of the same sort of thing; what they believe in as therapists, how they can help you and in what ways, how you can expect to be treated, things you might be going through and where they got their degrees. These are actually all important things to know, but how can you tell if you can relate on any level? I want to do something different, I want you to know who I am. I want to communicate why I will or will not be a good fit for you.
The Longer Bio and Why I Can Relate–Life is Tough AND You Can Do Hard Things
ANXIETY, PANIC, TRAUMA, FEAR, DEPRESSION
In 2004, after 4 years of what seemed like countless miscarriages, because frankly I stopped counting after a while, our son was born at 24 weeks and weighed about 1 pound. He was in the NICU for 3 and a half months. The challenges and traumas seemed like they would never end. I want you to understand that I know extreme panic and anxiety. I put these things out there so that you don’t think that I have never felt despair and unrelenting anxiety. I know what it’s like to stay in bed, want to hide away and never come out.
In September 2021, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and it absolutely rocked my world. I felt utterly crushed, shattered and terrified. I went through several operations and treatments, and I made it through. My journey was incredibly shitty, and I had complications that were really uncommon - doctors said “we aren’t sure what this is.” The lining between my lungs and chest wall evaporated so it felt like I had a broken rib. When that healed after 3+ months, the radiation left my ribs so delicate that I literally broke a rib. I had a wound that took 8 months to heal. The wound got infected and I have scars from that. The trauma just kept mounting. Let’s just say, it was a complicated year. And here I am, alive and kicking.
That hardly sums up the past 25 years, but those are two of the biggies. I get what you are going through not because I have your experience, but because we share the same emotions. This career is intensely personal to me and you are never just another client. You are a unique human who has my full attention.
WHO I WORK WELL WITH - AM I FOR YOU?
I work well with lots of people and I don’t work well with others. Here’s my list – and I put this out there so that you don’t have to waste your time if someone else is a better fit.
I work well with people who are motivated and want some sort of lasting and big change in their life, who will do the work required and are inspired to make changes. I like people who want tools. I use all the tools I can find, and you will need to embrace and practice what works well for you. Let’s fill your emotional tool box with things that inspire and propel you forward. Lots of therapists tell you there aren’t any tools and it literally makes me crazy. I have a 25 year relationship with my husband because of relational tools.
I want you to trust me and honestly tell me what is going on with you. I am an open book; you can ask me almost anything and I will tell you my story. If you can’t be open and honest with me, we aren’t a good fit. I can’t help correct what is hidden. I won’t judge you, we all have bad habits and when I know yours I will help you shed them and embrace new effective ones.
I am biased, if you are doing something that harms you or your relationship, I am going to tell you, and I *will* take sides. Then we are going to make a little tweak and watch as big changes happen. I’ve done this with thousands of people. You must commit to doing what you *should* do and not what you *want* to do. There’s a huge difference. I am not saying this is easy, it takes patience and practice so buckle up. I’m along for your ride.
I happen to work well with fiery people, big personalities and those with lots of passion. People who are creative, artists, visionaries, etc. Lawyers and techy folks? Yep, you, too.
I am not great with quiet people who want me to do all the talking. If you are an introvert, no problem. I love introverts and I learn from you. But this needs to be a back and forth, not me talking at you.
I am not great with people who think in black and white, I need people who can see and live in the gray. If you are black and white and wish to live more in the gray, awesome, I can work with that.
I am not a good fit if you want crisis management. If you come in once every quarter with the same problem, we are not a good fit. I mean, we can talk, but you aren’t really ready to do the work if you come in once every 3 months. If we make headway and you are ready to scale back that’s a totally different story.
HERE’S A LITTLE MORE ABOUT ME
You will find me in flip flops one day and high heels the next. And the flip flops might accompany a suit. I’m weird like that. If it’s super cold, I’ll be in my cozy UGGs.
I am creative and it fuels my soul. Having said that, I will try new things as I think of them. If they don’t work, OK, we move on. But again, you are unique, so I try new things to see what sticks for you. I am never a one size fits all therapist, I am a person who looks for your needle in a haystack to see what’s right for you, what inspires and fuels you.
OK, speaking of being creative, when I get a new client, I think of our working together like a puzzle, you have some pieces, I have some pieces and together we will find the rest and fit them all together. You are never just like another client; you are unique and so is your puzzle.
I’d like you to know that I am open and brutally honest about what I’ve been through and hope you can do the same with me.
I like to swear. If you don't, that's fine, but I do.
I have a sweet, sweet therapy dog named Cloud and he sheds, so try not to wear all black. He comes to work with me and has since he was 8 weeks old. He’ll be 5 in November ‘23. I brush him, but he still sheds. If you like dogs, he’s your guy and will come snuggle with you on the couch or the floor where oddly many people end up if Cloud is in the room. He will also “place” on his bed if you prefer, no problem.
I know this is a lengthy bio. I truly want you to understand who I am, what I’ve been through and to understand I am not an uptight therapist who will continually ask you how you feel, I am pretty sure I know how you feel. I am Carrie in her flip flops or high heels, and you get the same me each time I see you. It just depends on how I feel that day. I want you to be comfortable with me.
If you have read this far and are still interested, awesome. Let’s talk. Here’s just a bit more about me and my training.
MY CLINICAL COUNSELING EXPERIENCE – INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING, COUPLES COUNSELING, & MORE
My clinical experience includes working with thousands of individuals, couples and families. I believe strongly that old wounds can be healed in a safe and calming environment, relational patterns can be rewired for a lasting and loving connection and that fear and trauma can be transformed into growth for a life of emotional wealth that you deserve. In addition to relationship and individual counseling, I use EMDR for trauma and personal growth.
I graduated with Honors from Regis University and hold an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder, my Certificate in Child and Adolescent Play Therapy and my Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. I attend additional trainings and certifications yearly as I am a lifelong learner and lover of new geeky protocols and techniques. I am constantly listening to several new Audible books every week, and if I absolutely love it, I will buy the hard copy and highlight all my favorite parts. In high school, I constantly carried around a dictionary and a thesaurus just in case I needed to look up a new word or find a synonym. I loooove books. OH, I also loooove board games.
I can’t wait to hear your story and help you march through your struggles. Life is weird and hard and strange and magical and it’s so much better when you have the tools you need and a guide along the way. Ready? Reach out to me, let’s do this together.