You say you’re fine. But you don’t know what you need — and asking feels like a burden.
You grew up with parents who were there, but not really there. So you learned to keep your feelings to yourself, figure things out on your own, and not ask for much. Now you second-guess yourself, hold it all together for everyone else, and feel like you’re too much — or somehow not enough.
If that’s you, you’re in the right place. This is where you start to know what you feel and need, take it seriously, and share it with the people in your life — without apologizing for it.
I’m a licensed therapist in Texas helping adults who grew up with emotionally unavailable parents and are still feeling the effects today.
Together, we work on trusting yourself again, setting boundaries without guilt, and letting people in instead of handling everything on your own.
You might be here because…
You've been holding it together for a long time.
You're the thoughtful one. The reliable one. The one people come to with their problems. From the outside you look fine, maybe even like you have it all together. Maybe it shows up most in your relationships, where you keep giving more than you get and wondering why it always ends up that way. But underneath that:
You feel anxious in social settings — so busy worrying about how you’re coming across that you can’t relax and just be there
You second-guess everything — rereading texts before you send them, replaying conversations afterward, checking with a friend before making even small decisions
You’d rather do everything yourself than ask for help, and letting go of control feels almost impossible
When someone asks what you want or need, you go blank
You know when something feels off, but you talk yourself out of it — so you stay in the job, the friendship, or the relationship longer than you should
You feel like you're too much… or somehow not enough
You keep ending up in relationships that don't feel right — or where you know you deserve more
There's a loneliness underneath everything, even when you're surrounded by people who love you
You're always the one checking in, showing up, holding space — and you can't remember the last time someone did that for you
You're really hard on yourself, and mistakes feel bigger than they should
If any of this sounds like you, you’re in the right place. A lot of this traces back to growing up with parents who couldn’t really be there for you emotionally — and learning early that your needs came last.
You're starting to realize this isn't just who you are.
It feels deeper than that. And maybe lately you've found yourself wondering:
"Did I not get something I needed growing up?"
"Why does this still affect me so much as an adult?"
If those questions are starting to surface — that's exactly where our work begins.
What’s actually going on
A lot of the people I work with didn’t experience obvious trauma.
There wasn’t always something you can point to and say, “that’s what caused this.”
Instead, it was more subtle.
Not the presence of something harmful—
but the absence of something important.
You may have:
learned to be independent early on
kept things to yourself
tried not to be “too much”
taken on the role of the one who handles everything
learned to stay quiet or go unnoticed
And on the surface, things may have looked… okay.
You were fed. You were clothed.
There wasn’t outright abuse.
But underneath that, something important was missing.
As Bessel van der Kolk puts it,
“It is every child’s birthright that when they walk into a room, the adults around them light up.”
Not just what happened to you—
but what didn’t happen.
Being emotionally understood.
Being truly seen.
Feeling safe to need support, express yourself, or fall apart sometimes.
This is often called emotional neglect.
And it can quietly shape how you see yourself, how you show up in relationships, and why trusting yourself, asking for help, and letting people in feel so hard — even when life looks fine from the outside.
None of this means something is wrong with you.
It means your mind and body adapted to get through.
There’s nothing “broken” about you.
A lot of what feels frustrating now—
the overthinking, the self-doubt, the relationship patterns—
are things your mind and body learned to do for a reason.
They helped you get through.
But what once helped you survive
may now be getting in the way of the life you actually want.
And the good news is—
these patterns can change. That's what we do together
How I Help
Therapy with me is about helping you understand these
patterns — and actually change them.
Not just talking about your life, but learning how to
feel different in it.
Together we'll work to:
Understand why you learned to need nothing — and what it's been costing you
Figure out what you actually feel and need, even if no one ever asked
Learn to actually feel your feelings instead of analyzing them from a safe distance
Stop over-giving in relationships while quietly starving yourself
Build a sense of self that doesn't collapse when someone's disappointed in you
Ask for what you need without it feeling like too much to ask
My approach is relational and body-based — meaning we don't just talk about what happened, we work with how it's still living in you. I use EMDR to help process the experiences that words alone can't quite reach. We'll go at a pace that feels safe, and I'll be with you the whole way.
Hi, I’m Addie.
I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Greece, working with clients online across Texas.
I know what it's like to be far from what's familiar and still have to show up for your life. That experience shapes how I work — with a lot of warmth, a lot of directness, and a genuine belief that you're more capable of change than you probably think right now.
I named this practice Everyday Bravery because I believe showing up, being honest, and doing this work is one of the purest forms of courage I get to witness — every single day.
It's a privilege to be part of it.
The Parent You’ve Been Waiting For
A live virtual workshop for adult children navigating complicated family relationships.
Saturday August 8th · $97 · Limited spots
Grab your spot!
What becomes possible
make a mistake without spiraling into shame or self-criticism
let go of the constant pressure to always be busy or productive
move through uncomfortable emotions without shutting down, lashing out, or numbing out
step off the hamster wheel of people-pleasing and start considering your own needs
trust yourself instead of constantly second-guessing
know what you feel and need, instead of going blank when someone asks
take your own needs seriously instead of always putting them last
ask for help without feeling like a burden
feel more secure and less anxious in your relationships
set boundaries without guilt or overthinking
stop repeating the same patterns in dating and relationships
feel more confident, grounded, and like yourself again
And maybe most importantly, begin to feel like you are enough, not because you finally got everything right, but because you actually believe it. That's not just a goal. That's what I've watched happen again and again for people who once sat exactly where you are right now.
Living abroad or always on the move?
I get it — because I'm living it too.
I'm based in Greece, working with clients across Texas
and beyond. I specialize in therapy for digital nomads,
expats, and location-independent professionals dealing
with the unique challenges of this life — identity shifts,
relationship strain, invisible stress, and the grief of
missing out, even when life looks amazing from the outside.
This life is extraordinary. It's also really hard sometimes.
And most therapists have no idea what it actually feels like.
What clients say after doing this work:
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“Before therapy, I didn’t even know what it meant to feel my feelings—let alone how to actually do it. Now I can finally connect with what I’m feeling instead of avoiding it, and it’s changed everything.”
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“I used to feel constantly anxious and on edge. Now I’m experiencing moments of calm, joy, and gratitude that I haven’t felt in years. It’s incredible to actually feel at ease in my body and mind.”
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“I’m starting to trust myself more and more each day, and my inner voice is no longer constantly tearing me down. I feel more confident, grounded, and like I can actually rely on myself.”
Change is possible—and you don’t have to figure it out on your own.
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