I believe in using expert guidance and authentic connection to help you thrive.

I believe therapy should be authentic, powerful, and effective.

My approach to therapy is collaborative, ultra personalized, and intentional. I don't sit there and shake my head and say "mhm." I believe you have everything you need to "heal," and I'm there to help you access it.

Sessions are designed to be focused and planned to address your unique goals, yet flexible to meet you wherever you’re at.

While I can’t give you a set number of sessions it will take, you will begin to feel progress soon after we begin.

I hope that my website can reveal a bit about my personality, and the free consultation call can give you the rest of what you need to make your decision.

I use trauma-informed, somatic based therapies that are modern, evidence-based, and engaging.

I’m not huge on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, but everyone has their preferences ;)

I use a dynamic, integrative approach - meaning, we’ll use a blend of EMDR, Brainspotting, IFS, Somatic, and Psychedelic therapies when appropriate. I believe this allows my clients to find the most success in therapy.

You might see different letters at the end of therapist names, for example, I am Carly Pollack, LCSW.

The “LCSW” just means I am a licensed clinical social worker.

Other therapist acronyms could be LCP (Licensed Professional Counselor), LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist), LP (Licensed Psychologist) or PsyD (Doctor of Psychology). Licensed psychiatrists, DO’s and MD’s can also provide therapy but they use other tools like medication.

Some religious leaders offer “pastoral counseling,” which isn’t therapy unless the individual licensed.

Licensing is the process of being educated (must have at least a master’s degree) and then working underneath a more experienced, licensed professional who guides and supervises your work. You might see an “A” in someones letters like Carly Pollack ACSW, which means “associate” and that person is earning their hours.

I had to do this for 3,000 hours over at least 2 years - it actually took me about 5 :) Then, you sit for a national practical exam and a local jurisprudence exam. You have to pass, pay the fees, and submit an application to the state for your license.

As an LCSW, on a yearly basis I have to reapply for my license and complete required continuing education units to ensure I keep competent in the profession.

If someone claims to be a “trauma coach,” “somatic/IFS/trauma-informed,” “guide,” “grief healer,” “mental health coach,” “psychotherapy-informed” or some other vague credential, they might be exactly what you are looking for. They also might be passing themselves off as more legitimate than they actually are.

There is a bit of nuance here because, in my opinion, healers with indigenous training and family lineage have a right to practice within and for their community, but might not have the letters by their name.

I love being a therapist because it allows me the role of fellow traveler. I've learned so much and will continue to expand into the best therapist I can be.

I am in tune with myself, my clients, and my world, which allows me to sit with you while you address and move through deeply painful material.

Working with folks who are going through loss is an absolute privilege. When I am sitting with you in your grief, confusion, hurt, anger and disgust, I feel such a sense of clarity that it’s hard to describe.

Lot’s of therapists don’t know how to work with grief and loss. Or don’t want to. I find that so incredibly sad - I don’t know a more powerful honor.

Super great question.

I am anti-racist, anti-homophobic, anti-transphobic, anti-xenophobic, pro Free Palestine, and have a hard time understanding the cruelty of our fellow people electing trump.

I am agnostic but not religious and consider myself more and more spiritual as I grow with and into myself. Although I am obviously plugged into a capitalistic system, I think capitalism drives a lot of the suffering we experience as a people.

Please, feel free to ask me about any of this and if there are parts that I missed, bring them up in our consultation call.

Everyone should ask their therapist this!

I am involved in my own individual therapy and regularly practice IFS and somatic mediations.

I get cozy with my shadow parts and regularly take part in individual and group psychedelic therapy experiences.

I play soccer, spend time in nature and water, cook healthy plant-based meals, bake vegan treats, prioritize sun and water intake, learn Spanish, volunteer at the humane society, and play with my dog on a regular basis.

I have a loving partner who supports me unconditionally 💖

It's cheesy but it's true- I don't think I really "chose" it at first.

My baby brother died of bone cancer when I was 20 and he was 17. He had his leg amputated as part of treatment, was in remission, and it came back, it metastasized. The entire 3 years were horrible, and my family and I had no idea how to grieve. We sort of stuffed it down. Shocker - it came back up.

10 years after my brother died, my dad died by suicide after a long struggle with depression and alcoholism. I was 30.

These losses shaped me personally and professionally, and I am honored to work with folks navigating similar traumas and losses.

Even if you don’t share the experience of losing family to death, grief and loss shows up many times in our lives. Everything that we love, eventually, we lose.

I don’t see this as something to be fought against, anymore. Usually, it can help me focus on what is in front of me and what I want to cultivate. Sometimes, it’s just really fucking sad.

Outside of work, I love jumping into ice-cold alpine lakes in Colorado, aprendiendo español, volunteering with and fostering dogs at the humane socety,  playing competitive adult soccer, cooking elaborate dinners for my friends, and watching terrible but hilarious comedy TV like It’s Always Sunny, The Office, Reno 911, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.