I am a marriage and family therapist and a professional clinical counselor licensed in the state of Minnesota. I am also a certified Adlerian life coach and am endorsed as an infant mental health specialist. I am currently in a doctoral program working on my Ph.D. in infant and early childhood development with a dissertation related to infant and toddler attachment in relation to their fathers. I've also worked as a consultant to childcare providers.
I've worked with children and families and supported them through parenting struggles, attachment issues, grief, loss, pregnancy, post-partum depression, severe anxiety, parental separation, trauma, and challenging circumstances. I have been with clients during crises and helped them determine the best ways to maintain their safety and find them the supports they need. I have also been with clients as they take small steps to make real changes in their lives, and we celebrate together.
I'm also passionate about helping young adults figure out their next steps. What goals do you have? Who do you want to see in the mirror each day? What steps can we take together to help you reach your ideal self? This is all about YOU Beginning.
My therapeutic style is all about you. I think of therapy as giving yourself a brief time to get your revolving thoughts out of your head, clean them up, polish them, replace them, or reestablish them, as best fits your happiest life. I utilize a psychodynamic approach and find Alfred Adler's practical psychology with real-time solutions useful and effective. I love using nature in my therapy and find nature to have its own therapeutic effect. I'm a firm believer in therapy being a collaborative process and want to make sure that you and I are focused on the same goals to get the results you're looking for. I like to combine mind-body techniques like deep breathing, guided imagery, and yogic movement into therapy and role-play and practice assertive communication.
I'd love to speak with you about your goals and what the most effective support looks like for you. Please let me know if you have more questions about the therapeutic process and when it works best to get started.
Additional areas of focus: LGBT, Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Trauma and abuse, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Depression, Coaching, Adoption and foster care, Attachment issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Blended family issues, Body image, Caregiver issues and stress, Chronic pain, illness, and disability, Divorce and separation, Family of origin issues, Family problems, Fatherhood issues, Fertility issues, First responder issues, Guilt and shame, Isolation / loneliness, Life purpose, Midlife crisis, Money and financial issues, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Postpartum depression, Post-traumatic stress, Pregnancy and childbirth, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-love, Social anxiety and phobia, Women's issues, Workplace issues, Young adult issues
Clinical approaches: Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Existential Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy
MN LPCC 891
MN LMFT 2975
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Stephanie Clausen-Swenson. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
Stephanie’s honest, practical, and empathetic nature is incredibly helpful. She has vast experience and education to back up her methods. She’s easy to talk to and adds in humor. I walk away each session with simple tools to practice. She’s fantastic!
Written on Nov 22, 2024 after therapy with Stephanie for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, career difficulties, coping with life changes, coaching, and compassion fatigue
I appreciate the support from Stephanie as I am getting away from a narcissist. It's an insidiously abusive cycle to get away from and is hard to talk about with others when they don't understand. She has offered great resources, ways to talk to this person or flying monkeys and supported me in understanding how to trust myself and to stress self-care.
Written on Jun 02, 2021 after therapy with Stephanie for 5 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, self esteem, and coping with life changes
Stephanie was extremely helpful in getting me started on creating my career goals and working towards them. Her emphasis on self care helped me to slow down outside of my stressful work environment and pushed me towards taking better care of myself in and out of work. She is wonderful!
Written on May 27, 2021 after therapy with Stephanie for 2 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, self esteem, anger management, and career difficulties
Stephanie is simply amazing. We connected from day 1 and she really understands me.
Written on May 25, 2021 after therapy with Stephanie for 4 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, self esteem, and compassion fatigue
Stephanie has been a wonderful counselor.
Written on May 19, 2021 after therapy with Stephanie for 5 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, and relationship issues
She’s pretty fantastic and I’m glad I found her. We vibe really well and she helps me work through tough situations
Written on May 18, 2021 after therapy with Stephanie for 4 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, addictions, family conflicts, grief, eating disorders, and self esteem