Written By: Natalie Yard, MA, LPC, NCC
When people start therapy, many hope for a sudden breakthrough or quick fix. It’s natural to want clarity and relief fast—especially when you’ve been struggling for a long time. But real change in therapy is usually slower and more layered than that. In this post, I’ll explain why change is a process, how small consistent steps build lasting growth, and what therapy feels like when you work with me.
Key points:
- Why therapy is a process, not an event
- How small changes add up over time
- What makes therapy effective
- How a holistic, integrative approach supports growth
- Your role and my role in the work
Why Change in Therapy is a Process
Change isn’t a single moment or a sudden fix. It’s rarely linear or predictable, and it often doesn’t come with fireworks. Instead, change happens slowly—through small shifts in how you relate to yourself and your experiences. This is what I call the “compound effect” of healing.
When you come to therapy, you might expect a big breakthrough. But most real growth is about steady, intentional effort over weeks and months. It’s not about pushing yourself to the limit but working at a pace your nervous system can handle. If change is too intense or fast, it can overwhelm you—leading to burnout or feeling stuck.
The Compound Effect: Small Steps Add Up
In my sessions, I often see clients trying to change everything at once. But lasting transformation usually comes from consistent, small shifts. These might look like new insights, experiments with coping skills, or simply noticing your patterns more clearly.
Therapy isn’t about fixing what’s “wrong.” It’s about helping you engage with yourself in new ways—with curiosity, honesty, and self‐compassion. When you try new approaches and gently adjust over time, change becomes sustainable.
This approach aligns with findings in neuroscience. Research shows that therapies and non‐pharmacological interventions can induce changes in brain structure and function (i.e., neuroplasticity)—meaning that with repeated, small experiences our brain pathways gradually shift. PubMed+1 The implication is: working within a safe, manageable pace supports lasting growth rather than pushing for a quick fix.
My Holistic, Integrative Approach to Therapy
I take an integrative approach, seeing the whole person—not just symptoms or behaviors. Well‐being is holistic. This means that alongside exploring emotional patterns and what you believe about yourself and the world, we also pay attention to foundational aspects: sleep quality, physical movement, healthy boundaries, relationships, and nervous system regulation.
Coping skills are important, but equally important is the foundation that makes those skills effective. When we nurture all parts of you—mind, body, and environment—therapy becomes a more powerful and sustainable process.
What Makes Therapy Work?
Here are some essential ingredients I’ve found that support lasting growth:
- Safety in the relationship: Feeling seen, accepted, and not rushed allows you to open up and go deeper. Equally important is feeling that your therapist is the right fit for you—a person you can trust and connect with. When the match feels right, it’s easier to engage fully in the work and feel supported throughout the process.
- Self‐awareness: We explore emotions, patterns, and responses together—not to judge but to understand.
- Trial and experimentation: We try different tools and perspectives to see what fits you best.
- Acceptance: Some things can’t be changed. True acceptance brings freedom by freeing you from trying to control the uncontrollable, so you can focus your energy where it will be most productively spent.
- Authenticity and humor: Growth is serious work, but it doesn’t need to feel heavy. I bring authenticity and a touch of humor into sessions, helping the work feel real, relatable, and easier to engage with.
Your Role and My Role in Therapy
Therapy doesn’t stop when the session ends. I encourage clients to bring their real life into the work—not just big moments, but everyday feelings, challenges, and observations.
Your job is to pay attention to what feels difficult or uncomfortable. Notice how your body reacts after certain events. When we meet again, we’ll make meaning of those moments and use them as clues for growth.
My role is to meet you where you are. I don’t come with a fixed agenda or script. Instead, I offer a collaborative space where you can hear yourself clearly, supported by tools, perspective, and steady presence.
Ready to Start Your Healing Journey?
If you’re looking for therapy that honors your pace, sees you as whole—not broken—and support your mind and body together, let’s connect. Real change doesn’t happen overnight, but with steady support, it is possible. You don’t have to do this alone. If you’d like support with your growth process, reach out to me through our Contact Page—I’d be glad to help you take the next step.
Reference:
Saccenti,D., RomeroLauro,L.J., Crespi,S.A., Moro,A.S., Vergallito,A.,… &Ferro,M. (2024).
Boosting Psychotherapy With Noninvasive Brain Stimulation: The Whys and Wherefores of Modulating Neural Plasticity to Promote Therapeutic Change. Neural Plasticity.2024:7853199.
doi:10.1155/np/7853199. PMC
