Carla Hill – St. Paul Office

Carla Hill
MSW, LICSW

My approach to psychotherapy begins with my belief in the inherent strength and healing abilities within us all. Therapy provides a place for individuals to learn and to practice living life with awareness and choice. Things that happen in life can impact our experience of control and make it seem as though we have anything but choice or agency in what happens in our mind, bodies, or environment.

Healing from difficult life circumstances can create opportunities to connect to the wisdom that is present inside each of us. Therapy is a space in which we can identify and unpack habit energies and beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world that have been helpful in the past but may be getting in the way of our being and feeling like ourselves.

I bring compassion and curiosity to the important work of healing, and I am interested in the totality of the self: mind, body, emotions, and spirit. I believe in the innate wisdom of the body and the increasing importance in today’s society of increasing and strengthening the connection between the head and the heart. As humans we are multidimensional beings; therapy is way to intentionally hold space for developing the whole person.

I specialize in trauma, family of origin and attachment concerns, depression, anxiety, pregnancy and post-partum concerns, parenting, and life transitions. I have a keen interest in working with young mothers wanting to heal from trauma and to find ways to connect most fully with their young ones.

In therapy, we work together to create lasting transformation and develop healthier ways of being that tap into and allow your inner wisdom to speak. We work to unravel your story and make sense of unhealthy patterns; to mourn losses, be they related to death, loss of relationships, or childhood; and to begin to live life fully and in the present moment.

In sessions we will explore how unmet needs and unintegrated experiences are expressed in mind, body, behavior, and relationships. We will balance cognitive, emotional, and somatic awareness with right action, building skills that allow you to show up in your life feeling and being more present and connected.

I utilize a psychodynamic approach and include a variety of methods within therapy including DBT, CBT, mindfulness-based strategies, and EMDR. I am currently being trained in sensorimotor psychotherapy, a body-based approach to healing trauma.