LaVon Petersen

Many people move through life feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, or unsure how to care for

themselves while caring for everyone else. You might be wondering why life doesn’t feel better

or why you keep putting your own needs last. These experiences are more common than most

people realize, and they can take a real toll on your mind and body.

As someone with lived experience, I understand how challenging it can be to navigate

relationships, identity, stress, and the expectations placed on us. My approach to therapy is

integrative and person‐centered, grounded in your needs, preferences, and cultural worldview. I

believe therapy should feel like a space where you can breathe, reflect, and reconnect with

yourself.

Whether online or in person, I work to create a supportive environment where you can explore

concerns related to relationships, gender, trauma, grief, identity, and life transitions. My goal is to

help you cultivate greater clarity, resilience, and overall wellness because living a better life

shouldn’t feel out of reach.

A holistic, person-centered, integrative approach that is prioritized, blending techniques from various modalities, and, most importantly, rooted in humanistic-experiential principles to meet individual needs. The focus is on building a strong therapeutic alliance and a safe, nonjudgmental space to foster self-awareness, personal growth, and practical coping skills for lasting change.

Your first session is a space to slow down, get oriented, and begin building a sense of safety and trust. We’ll start by discussing what brought you to therapy and what you hope to gain from our work together. There’s no pressure to share everything at once. This is a collaborative conversation that moves at your pace.

I’ll ask questions to better understand your experiences, relationships, stressors, strengths, and any relevant history that helps inform your care. We’ll also review practical details such as confidentiality, boundaries, and what therapy with me typically looks like, so you know what to expect going forward.

Rather than rushing into “fixing,” the first session focuses on understanding you as a whole person emotionally, relationally, and contextually. Together, we’ll begin identifying goals and deciding whether working together feels like a good fit. Many clients leave the first session feeling clearer, supported, and more grounded, even if nothing feels fully resolved yet.

Therapy is a process, and the first session is simply the beginning.