About Traci Andes, LCSW, RN
My Story
I grew up Mormon. And while I’m grateful for parts of that experience, I also remember the terrible unsettled feeling of trying to force myself to believe things that didn’t feel right in my bones. Still, I was scared about changing—worried I’d lose community and identity, and a sense of life’s meaning.
I also didn't know what to do with the strong emotions I felt, especially anger and shame. I'd try to contain it, criticize it, or simply push through it because I didn’t think these emotions were appropriate. Sometimes I'd explode or shut down, and then feel absolutely terrible about how I'd handled things.
Eventually, I found another way.
Through therapy and meditation practice I learned that understanding myself wasn't enough. I needed to learn how to relate differently to what I was experiencing: with curiosity instead of judgment, compassion instead of criticism, and enough attention to understand what my emotions and reactions were trying to tell me.
I learned to listen to myself rather than automatically defer to outside voices. I began building a life grounded in self-trust, compassion, and honest connection.
That work changed the way I understand healing. And it remains at the heart of what I offer my clients.
What it’s like to work with me
If you're reading this, you're probably someone who thinks, questions, and wants to understand. You may have a lot of insight already, but still feel like there's something missing between knowing what you want to change and actually being able to change it.
I want therapy to be a place where you don't have to perform, have the right answers, or convince me that your experience makes sense. You can bring the parts of yourself you're proud of, the parts you're embarrassed by, and the parts you don't understand yet.
I'll listen closely, ask questions, offer observations and suggestions, and help us identify what the work is for you. I'll respect what you already know and trust you to decide what fits. And when I notice something that might be getting in the way of the work, I'll tell you what I'm noticing so we can explore it together.
I believe the relationship we develop in therapy matters. Being met with curiosity, understanding, and respect can give you an experience of relationship that you can eventually begin to create for yourself—and carry into your relationships with other people.
You don't have to arrive in therapy knowing exactly what's wrong or exactly what you need to change.
If you have a sense that something isn't working—or that you've been trying to solve the same problem for a long time—we can start there. Together, we'll figure out what matters to you and what the work might be.