Life Experience Shapes Effective Therapy for Long Term Trauma
How Gwen can help you:
Gwen Pontikes, LPC-MHSP, provides counseling that addresses the long term effects of trauma. Drawing from her extensive life experiences, she offers a compassionate approach to therapy, helping clients navigate challenges like addiction, anxiety, and loss. Whether you're seeking to heal from past traumas or improve your mental health, Gwen's sessions focus on understanding and overcoming these difficulties. Through personalized therapy, she aids clients in building resilience and achieving personal growth. Experience therapy that truly understands the complexities of the long term effects of trauma and find your path to healing.
Gwen's Experience:
I bring a wealth of life experience to my therapy sessions, shaped by my own journey through a childhood marked by addiction and codependence. Having navigated my struggles with anxiety and depression, I have gained valuable insights into managing childhood dysfunction and overcoming unhealthy choices and coping mechanisms. I struggled with depression from the age of 16 through my mid-twenties and did not understand why or how to feel better. I did not know how to talk about what was going on and had a few failed attempts at getting help. I was able to see a school therapist during college with 3 allotted visits and those sessions helped me get through some tough times with solid counsel and support.
My first career in finance was characterized by long hours, extensive travel, and a perfectionist mindset, which led to an imbalanced life. My self esteem was built on trying to achieve and please others which was a never ending treadmill of more things to accomplish. I did not realize it, but slowing down gave me too much time to ruminate/overthink and feel uncomfortable feelings I did not know how to work through. Over time, I learned healthier coping skills such as exercise, being outdoors and allowing myself downtime to be with friends and family. This, in turn, increased my self-worth and validated that relationships were key to my meaning making. Thankfully, taking part in group sports for community (tennis, paddle and pickle) and joining a yoga community were healing and connecting. Along the way, I cultivated a thriving relationship with my husband of 33 years as we raised our four children, learning healthy communication skills and fostering a supportive partnership.
As co-parents of four adult children, my husband and I have embraced the challenge of parenting as a cohesive team rather than as adversaries - this is work and takes strong communication skills we learned over time. As I healed and learned to take care of myself, I was able to be an even better parent to my children - my work on myself had a trickle down effect in the family. My competitive spirit has found expression in racquet sports, where I discovered the power of teamwork - learning to get out of self and think more collectively was work with my tendency to value myself on my own accomplishments. Additionally, I have tapped into my creative side through music, singing in choirs and playing various instruments, including the guitar, violin, piano, and French horn. Creating music with others turned out to be one of the greatest tools for connection and co-regulating my nervous system with others.
Having personally experienced the challenges of supporting a loved one through addiction recovery, I understand the complexities of this journey. This led me to reinvent myself with a second career in counseling, where I can offer support and guidance to others facing similar struggles. Throughout my life, I have also cared for my parents during their declining health and end-of-life issues, striving to balance my responsibilities to them, my spouse, my children, and myself in a healthy way. The grief I experienced from the loss of my parents has further deepened my understanding of life’s emotional challenges, equipping me to provide compassionate support to my clients.
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