Q&A About Therapy with Alexandra Oeser
Therapy isn’t just about managing grief or navigating life’s transitions, it’s about building the mindfulness, self-compassion, and emotional skills that help you move through every stage of life with greater resilience. In this Q&A, Empowered Therapy therapist Alexandra Oeser shares how she helps clients process ongoing grief and loss, use art as a pathway to emotions that feel hard to put into words, and develop the boundary-setting and self-awareness skills that make relationships and daily life genuinely thrive.
How do you help clients navigate grief that feels ongoing or unresolved?
Answer: When some grief is ongoing I invite clients to consider ways they can feel connected to meaningful memories that could be done on specific dates or daily life.
Along with this, I see grief and loss as an ongoing process throughout life in life changes such as loss in ability, friendships, etc.
I support clients through providing space to process and express their grief as well as develop mindfulness, acceptance, and CBT skills to navigate these experiences.
How do you create space for both loss and meaning-making in the healing process?
Answer: When some grief is ongoing I invite clients to consider ways they can feel connected to meaningful memories that could be done on specific dates or daily life.
Along with this, I see grief and loss as an ongoing process throughout life in life changes such as loss in ability, friendships, etc.
I support clients through providing space to process and express their grief as well as develop mindfulness, acceptance, and CBT skills to navigate these experiences.
How do you incorporate art into sessions for clients who don’t consider themselves “creative”?
Answer: I invite clients to make art in sessions if they express interest in art making or creativity. There can be rigidity around what is being “creative” or a “good artist” sometimes built on messages we receive throughout childhood and our lives.
Art making can be one experience to challenge these thoughts around what is creative or good through focusing on the creative process instead of the end product as well as looking at different art movements throughout history and in modern art.
What makes art therapy especially helpful for processing emotions that feel hard to put into words?
Answer: Art therapy can be helpful in expressing emotions or experiences through metaphors and connections that can be made through the art material being used.
Lines, textures, and color can communicate or further explore a client’s thoughts or emotions while being able to process their experience in a visual way.
What does your approach look like when working with someone navigating dating or romantic uncertainty?
Answer: With the uncertain nature of some romantic relationships, I encourage clients to navigate these situations through not only managing unhelpful thoughts impacting stress, but also through identifying their expectations, wants, and needs in these relationships to assist in boundary setting and self-compassion.
Through exploring the intentions and values of a client, I am able to guide them through decision-making in their relationships as well as identifying what they can control through their actions.
How do you support clients who struggle with boundaries or people-pleasing?
Answer: Some challenges I notice in setting boundaries or experiencing people-pleasing can be connected to thoughts or “unwritten rules” impacting their interactions with others.
I support clients in identifying and managing these thoughts to align with their needs in relationships, connecting with self-compassion, and creating expectations in their relationships to inform their boundaries.
How do you approach ADHD beyond just productivity and focus challenges?
Answer: With ADHD impacting more areas in life other than just task completion, I consider self-compassion and cognitive flexibility to be important to emphasize when navigating these challenges.
I assist clients in identifying unhelpful thinking patterns contributing to challenges faced while developing ways to manage these thoughts and increase self-compassion.
What strategies do you use to help clients manage overwhelm or emotional dysregulation?
Answer: I consider managing emotional regulation a process that begins with self-reflection and understanding emotions as well as the impact these emotions have on thoughts and behaviors.
Depending on the challenges someone might be experiencing, I utilize DBT and ACT practices to begin building emotional regulation and distress tolerance coping skills while additionally identifying and managing any thoughts that might be contributing to these challenges.
What does building sustainable routines look like in your work with ADHD clients?
Answer: I consider managing emotional regulation a process that begins with self-reflection and understanding emotions as well as the impact these emotions have on thoughts and behaviors. Depending on the challenges someone might be experiencing,
I utilize DBT and ACT practices to begin building emotional regulation and distress tolerance coping skills while additionally identifying and managing any thoughts that might be contributing to these challenges.