Tamara Ridge, LMFT

As a human first, I understand that to be an effective, empowering therapist, I must be awake and active in my own healing system to be able to guide you to your healing system. I have learned how to do this for myself and I’d love to help you on your journey toward self-discovery, healing and more fulfilling relationships.

I will teach you how to heal yourself. We will practice these principles together. You will learn to apply them for yourself and in relationship with others. Contact me to enhance your well-being and your relationships.

Working with Couples:
Did you know that there is no mystery to what it takes to create the relationship you’ve been dreaming of? Research shows us that there are specific qualities and actions that the happiest, most successful couples do on a consistent basis. My therapeutic style focuses on helping my clients achieve these results in the shortest amount of time possible, based on having a structured process that takes the guesswork out of improving your relationship, so you can optimize your time, energy and money while achieving results. I work with couples who are committed to achieving these three essential features of a high quality, high performing romantic relationship. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Quality results: Do my partner and I nurture a friendship that is based on safety and mutual respect? Do we create an encouraging environment for each other that allows each of us to thrive?

2. Engagement and commitment: Do we create a powerful sense of “team” that inspires each of us to seek the other’s best interests? Do we have a clear sense of purpose that drives our motivation to work together toward a common goal?

3. Growth and development: Does the relationship environment we create foster growth in each of us? Are we both comfortable expressing ourselves authentically in a way that helps both of us to flourish and grow?

Based on the work of Dr. Jacqueline Peters (author of High Performance Relationships), couples who work with me begin with comprehensive assessments to identify exactly where their greatest strengths and areas for growth exist.

We look at: Emotional Intelligence (Self-awareness and Self-regulation), Safety and Attachment Styles as well as how you score on each of the Five Building Blocks of High Performance Relationships.

Then, we move forward building areas of growth into strengths until you are able to maintain your growth as a couple without further support. At the end of our work, you will have built solid foundations for ongoing growth in any of the areas essential to a High Performance Romantic Relationship.

Safety – A climate in which people feel free to express relevant thoughts and feelings without fear of being penalized.
Purpose – A clear vision of where you are going as a couple that builds motivation and commitment to what you see in your future as individuals and together as a team of two.
Structure – An unmistakable clarity about who does what in your relationship (roles and responsibilities) and how to use resources toward your common goals as a couple.
Camaraderie – An unusual sense of friendship, commitment, humor and play that build your bond every day and as you move toward your future together.
Repair – All relationships encounter conflict and sometimes, that conflict leads to disruption of your sense of connection. Using the tools for repair with the strategies of the REPAIR framework, you will become experts at staying connected with your partner in spite of conflict.

This process involves no guessing and no wondering where you’re going, a roadmap is provided to you and you will learn to follow it, with guidance, until you are able to use the tools without support. Along the way, I provide homework, respond to messages between sessions and do everything I can to ensure your success.

If you’d like to learn more about the building blocks of High Performance Romantic Relationships as I teach them, I invite you to visit my YouTube channel.

Reach out today to start building your High Performance Romantic Relationship today.

Sometimes, attachment styles have been so impacted by adverse childhood experiences that it’s necessary to do some individual work. Although I also work with adults who aren’t dealing with the impact of childhood trauma, but are looking for some support to just. get. unstuck – the principles of self-healing are the same. I invite you to read on.

Working with Individuals:
As a survivor of Childhood Trauma, I’ve been committed to removing the mystery from the self-healing process – both for myself and for my clients – since I first graduated as a therapist in 1997. During my study of how to heal, I developed a proprietary 6 Step System that is based on principles found in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Embodiment Principles, Mindfulness and Emotion Focused Therapy principles. Turns out, there’s a way to heal trauma triggers – both “Big T triggers” and “little t triggers.”

Both types of triggers can interfere with your relationships, your sense of happiness and your ability to overcome those pesky habits that you don’t tell anyone about. 😉

I’m committed to putting you in control of your feelings, your thoughts, your life. Effective therapy requires the therapist to teach, guide and support you in activating your own healing system. I specialize in helping you understand how to do this. Many of my clients say that what they learn about themselves from me in their first session with me is more than they’ve ever learned with other therapists.

My mission is to help you eliminate your need for long term therapy by pulling back the curtain on therapist “trade secrets” and showing you how to use them to your benefit. My approach is focused on empowering you to develop the skills and tools necessary to get you where you want your life to be; effectively, efficiently and consistently.

These tools and skills are your birthright. Healing resides within your body/mind/soul and it is your right to understand how to activate this healing system to resolve personal or relationship challenges that come your way. This is the foundational belief that drives my work.

“The answers are inside you. Trust yourself.”

Group Offerings: Online Childhood Trauma Recovery Program
Heal your trauma for good: 1) Understanding the trauma brain; 2) Reducing reactivity to triggers; 3) Interpreting feelings to reduce behaviors that make symptoms worse; 4) Correctly respond to each of 3 categories of feelings that trauma introduces; 5) Stop stress from making PTSD worse; 6) Getting your needs met; 7) 6 steps to heal triggers permanently; 8) Personalizing the steps to create powerful healing strategies specific to you; 9) Practicing your skills with support and encouragement, 10) Mastering the trauma recovery system. Group support available online at www.centerforhealingtrauma.com $42/month