On Monday March 16 2020, as it became clear how dangerous the pandemic was and was going to be,  I stopped meeting face to face. The passage of the last year and a half or so since has been a revelation to me and to my clients as to how useful and effective telehealth sessions can be. Because they seem to be a useful way to do therapy, I'm continuing to meet via online video platforms or phone. I'm using FaceTime, Google Meet and Zoom most of the time, Skype and any other platform that works for you works for me. That seems to be working well for sessions with new clients as well as with people I've been working with for a while.

Another of the changes Covid has brought is that I've decided that I'm going to relocate my physical office 10 miles down the road in Hillsborough rather than Durham. The new office will be in the center of town at 121 N. Churton Street. I want to move my work life closer to where Joy and I will be living. 

I'll be happy to meet with you virtually and once the office is up and running, face to face if you prefer, depending on the current Covid situation and our mutual safety.  I encourage you to reach out, whether you're a current client or a prospective one. This has been and is a terrifying passage and I'm sure we could all use some support and a safe sounding board to talk through the logistics and the emotions of staying safe through this crisis and sort through all the information and misinformation that the internet puts at all our fingertips.

I was concerned when I first moved into virtual sessions that it would be a poor substitute for face to face in person sessions. I was right about that- it's not the same. But in challenging times, Fairy Tale Wisdom argues that support can come from unexpected sources and that it's wise to draw in all the support you can.

I'd be happy to meet with you to help with this passage. Let me know if you'd like to schedule an hour with me.

Take care, stay safe!

Take excellent care of yourself, glean pleasures where you can safely, wash your hands, wear a mask, use social distancing- Taking good care of yourself is a wise choice in a time like this and doing so will help this to pass more quickly and with less residual trauma. 

A colleague of mine, Stephen Gilligan, once said: "Life is always coming to get you". When life does catch up with us, it offers challenges and opportunities for learning and growth- even in the worst of moments.

Those challenges often arrive in the form of unexpected or unwelcome events and can be overwhelming-

Relationship difficulties, issues with kids, work stress, illness, relationship endings, emotional and/or sexual awakening and awareness, deaths and losses, and many other forms of trouble and disturbance can cause life to feel harder and less pleasurable than it should and could. Trauma has many forms, some of which are baked into western patriarchial culture with damaging effects on people, families, and the world, some of which are inflicted on others, children, partners, colleagues, strangers and which have lasting damage. The damage can be undone but it takes support and an openness to sorrow and grief about the losses. 

Joyful events too- births, adoptions, new relationships, achievements, changes in work or home life, milestones in life or partnerships, aging, and all the surprises waiting around the next corner- all of these can be frightening and disturbing but also can be moments for self examination, reflection, learning, and growth,

I am kink friendly and positive, I work with clients who are engaged in a variety of sexual and emotional situations, who are gender fluid or questioning or who are dealing with an awareness that they are more than and different than the skin-suit they were born with. I work with people who are dealing with shame and trauma, whether it's from childhood or later experiences, or from the difficulty of living a both/and life in a culture that's obsessed with either/or, with division, with pathology and with prejudice and shame.

A good therapist can be helpful in sorting out the issues and deciding what needs to be done. The challenges are hard enough, why face them with less support and perspective than you need?

I have been in practice since 1977 and have learned from many people along the way- first and foremost, I have learned from my kids and my clients.

I studied with teachers like Robert Bly, Marion Woodman, Robert Johnson, Virginia Satir, James Hillman, Carl Whitaker, Stephen Gilligan, Sallie Foley, Bill O’Hanlon, Dave Schnarch, Bessel Van Der Kolk, Coleman Barks and many others.

I have learned a lot along the way and my clients report that my insights and interventions have often been helpful in reducing stress and clarifying options for them.

I'm in a deep and loving relationship with Joy Salyers and I have a sense of the delights and the challenges of being in a genuine intimate relationship. I know internally and externally the joys and the sorrows deep desire for deep connection can bring.

 Let me know if you'd like to consult with me and we can see if working together might be useful to you.

FYI- My pronouns are he, him, his.

Frank Overton
Carolina Counseling Center
121 N Churton Street Hillsborough NC 27278

919-450-7930
frankoverton@icloud.com