Kevin St. Arnaud, PhD

I believe that psychotherapy is not simply about suppressing or managing symptoms, although developing skills, strategies, or techniques to live healthier and more content lives is typically part of the process. Instead, therapy is fundamentally about creating a safe, relational context for encountering our inner wounds and reflecting upon our deeply ingrained beliefs. When we avoid the legitimate tension and even pain that can results from self-confrontation, we also avoid the growth and change that life requires of us. Therapy thus involves a dual process: acceptance of our selves, through facing and mourning our grief––and growth of our self-narrative through questioning and revising outmoded beliefs. When we are able to face the truth of our lives with openness, including past hurts, regrets, and the inherent limits of our human existence, are we freed to create authentic and meaningful lives. This pursuit of meaning is also the foundation of self-transcendence, or spirituality–an inseparable and essential aspect of mental health and well being.