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2131 Capitol Ave. Ste 206
Sacramento, CA 95816
US

916-287-3430

Thrive Therapy & Counseling provides high quality mental health therapy to Highly Sensitive People (hsps), LGBTQIA+ folks, and young adults struggling with anxiety, low self-esteem, or trauma.

Blog

This blog is written by therapists in midtown Sacramento and focuses on the concerns and struggles of highly sensitive people (HSPs), LGBTQIA+ folks, and adults struggling with depression, anxiety or just trying to figure out what they want for themselves.  There's help and hope through counseling and therapy!

Sick and Sensitive

Leigh Johnson

I’ve been sick on and off for the past month. It began with a single symptom, as most sicknesses do, and has since progressed into a whirlwind of Doctors’ visits, testing endeavors with conflicting results, an unrelated COVID exposure and period of isolation, a resurgence of the original ailment, and a whole lot of uncertainty. Being ill is unpleasant for anyone, but as a highly sensitive person it can be hard not to feel downright pathetic with the intensity of just how bad things feel - not just physically, but emotionally. If you’re also an HSP and feel especially “fragile” during times of illness, you’re not alone!

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categories coping skills, mental health, therapy Midtown Sac, therapy Sacramento
tags highly sensitive person, sick, sickness, sad when sick, coping, therapy Sacramento, highly sensitive therapist

Denial: Taking Off Our Blinders

Ileana Arganda-Stevens

Our emotions are kind of like our friends and relatives, not all of them are welcome at our house! We may feel close and welcoming toward our Aunt Joy, but cold and distant toward Uncle Anger – “I barely know him, and…he's KINDA weird!” Unlike our friends and relatives, we don't get to choose if our emotions are part of our lives – they're here to stay, whether we like it or not. When emotions are unwelcome or unfamiliar, we may use defense mechanisms to deal with them. One such defense mechanism is denial. When we use denial to keep certain emotions at a distance, it can have unintended consequences – we may experience repeated feelings of being “stuck”, numb, confused, or even anxious about certain things and we just don't know why. By learning how to recognize and work with denial, we can become more comfortable with distant emotions and increase our awareness, agency, and  self-assuredness. 

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categories therapy, therapy Midtown Sac, therapy Sacramento
tags surviving and thriving, denial, defense mechanisms, coping skills

Forgiveness - Focusing on Ourselves

Ileana Arganda-Stevens

The idea of forgiveness brings up strong feelings for many people, myself included. I struggle to write about it and to talk about it, which makes me think it’s important to try – even if I’m somewhat clumsy. We often shy away from topics that leave us unsettled or frustrated for their heaviness and lack of clarity. But in some ways, I think this can make things worse – robbing us of the opportunity to stretch our internal capacities to bear the messiness of our existence. Perhaps devoting a little bit of time here and there to heavier topics will build our mental and emotional muscles, so to speak.

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categories coping skills, mental health, therapy, therapy Midtown Sac, therapy Sacramento
tags surviving and thriving, forgiveness, forgive and forget, self compassion, therapy Sacramento

Ghosting and the HSP

Joe Boyle

Have you ever gone on a handful of dates with someone, hopeful that the budding relationship would blossom, only to find that weeks later, none of your messages or calls to them are answered? Or has a friend at school suddenly cut off all communication with no explanation, and is now avoiding you in the community? Maybe you have felt such intense disconnection from someone that you can no longer maintain a relationship—yet the thought of reaching out to explain this to them fills you with so much dread that you’re considering just deleting their contact info and sweeping it all under the rug?

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categories communication, relationships, communication skills, therapy, therapy Sacramento, therapy Midtown Sac
tags highly sensitive therapist, therapy sacramento, therapy Midtown Sac, relationships, communication in dating, ghosting

Teens and Mental Health Days

Ivy Griffin

The term “Mental Health Day” has grown in popularity over the past few years.  This typically means taking sick time off work to treat our mental health with the same care and attention as our physical health.  Whether the intention is to take care of a family member (or just spend some extra quality time), relax and sleep in to relieve stress, or to regroup after a long week, taking care of our mental health is now more important than ever. 

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categories teen mental health, teen therapy Sacramento, teen depression, teen anxiety
tags teen therapist, teen therapy Sacramento, Tips For Teens

You’re Not Lazy: Navigating ADHD & Executive Dysfunction

Ivy Griffin

If you live with ADHD, you’ve likely heard the word “lazy” more times than you can count. Maybe it was when you forgot an assignment, struggled to keep up with chores, or procrastinated until the last minute. The truth is, ADHD and executive dysfunction have nothing to do with laziness. They are neurological differences that make planning, starting, and following through on tasks harder—not impossible, but definitely more complicated.

Understanding how ADHD affects executive functioning can help you reframe the narrative. Instead of blaming yourself for being “lazy,” you can begin to see your challenges in context and explore strategies that work with your brain, not against it.

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tags why therapy helps

Shame and Embarrassment for HSPs

Ileana Arganda-Stevens

For people who identify as highly sensitive or empathic, intense embarrassment and shame might be particularly difficult experiences. Making a mistake can be followed by intense physical sensations and emotions: your face gets hot, your heart rate spikes, and sometimes you may even want to disappear. While this is normal and might even feel manageable for some, people who are highly sensitive may struggle to recover from these feelings.

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categories coping skills, therapy Midtown Sac, therapy Sacramento
tags highly sensitive therapist, HSP therapy Sacramento, therapy Sacramento, shame, embarrassment

Therapy for LGBTQ+ Adults in Sacramento: Finding Support That Feels Safe

Ivy Griffin

For many LGBTQ+ adults, therapy is not just about managing anxiety, depression, or stress—it’s about finding a place where you feel safe, affirmed, and fully seen. Too often, LGBTQ+ clients have experienced misunderstanding, judgment, or even harm in healthcare settings. That’s why choosing a therapist who provides affirmative, inclusive care is so important. Therapy should be a space where your whole identity is honored and supported.

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tags why therapy helps

How Brainspotting Can Help With Chronic Overwhelm

Ivy Griffin

For many people, overwhelm feels like a constant state of being. It’s more than just a busy week or a stressful deadline—it’s the sense that your nervous system is always running on high, leaving you exhausted, irritable, and stuck. If you’ve tried to “think your way out of it” without success, you’re not alone. Overwhelm often lives in the body as much as the mind, which is why traditional coping tools sometimes fall short. This is where brainspotting can help.

Brainspotting is a therapeutic approach that accesses the mind-body connection directly. By working with the brain and nervous system, it helps release stored stress and trauma that fuel chronic overwhelm.

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tags why therapy helps