Dr. Carrie Skarda
I specialize in helping highly accomplished Latter Day Saint women reach the next level in their personal development and relationship goals.
As a doctorate psychologist, I have over 25 years of training and clinical experience. I've worked with literally hundreds of clients. With the extensive skills I’ve developed across my professional career, I’ve now come “home” to serve the incredible community of LDS women.
Latter Day Saint Women?
How Did I Get Here? ~By Caitlin Connolly
Let’s quickly acknowledge, and get past, the unfortunate stereotype of "an LDS woman."
That’s not you.
It’s definitely not me.
And that’s not who I see.
Click my LDS Living article to understand what I mean:
15 Reasons We Can Be Proud and Own Being an LDS Woman.
The LDS women I work with want the advantages of working with a mental health expert, but don't want to have to check their faith at the door. They see therapy as a catalyst to developing insight and well-being.
They are informed and self reflective - often bringing ideas they are exploring in books, podcasts, or gospel study into the therapy room.
They are of all ethnicities, ages, marital & parental statuses, stages of faith development, and sexual orientations. Many of my clients have professional degrees or aspirations. Most are in, or have held, positions of significant leadership at work, church, or in their families.
TYPICAL GOALS
Gain Insight: See truths, including why I'm stuck, with more clarity.
Take Action: Create better behavioral alignment with my core values. I don't want to just talk, I want to see real improvement.
Create Spiritual Growth: Transform my suffering into deeper connection with the Savior.
The growth and insights developed in therapy often end up benefiting not only the women themselves, but the wider circle of people within their influence.
What we talk about in therapy:
Religion & Spirituality
Integration of spiritual practices in healing, mapping spiritual maturation, spiritual & religious practice development, faith deconstruction, faith transitions, religious practices burnout, scrupulosity, discerning repentance vs other
Mental Health & Trauma Treatment
I treat mood disorders (depression, anxiety, dysthymia, postpartum depression, and bipolar,) current or previous trauma, impact of childhood experiences on adult identity and value formation, OCD & scrupulosity, ambiguous loss, overcoming shame and/or negative thinking, emotional resilience training, grief
Young Adult Launching
I offer a "launching evaluation" for young adults leaving home, pre-mission assessments with skill building, early return missionary debriefs, post mission vision casting, early career development, understanding the temple experience, non judgmental and faith affirming adult sexual orientation and gender identity exploration
Female Leadership
Marriage
Family & Friends
Career development and transition, female leadership at home & church, assertiveness and communication skill building, values identification, strengths inventory and development, burnout prevention and treatment
Marital counseling (individually or with your husband,) mixed faith marriage, betrayal trauma, effective communication, healthy differentiation and assertiveness, positive sexual intimacy, pre-marital advice, when to divorce and how to do so with integrity
Interpersonal conflict transformation, caregiving stress from infants to elderly parents, parenting littles & teens & adult children, effectively ministering to LGBTQ loves ones and friends, supporting family members with mental illness, interfaith family dynamics, forgiveness, friendship development
Aging
Treatment Modalities I Draw From
Life reviews, retirement success, long term relationship dynamics, grief & loss, health concerns, parenting adult children, sexuality pre/post menopause, friendship, meaning making
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Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction,
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Psychodynamic Control Mastery Theory,
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Internal Family Systems,
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Trauma informed care,
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy,
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy,
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Dialectical Behavioral Therapy,
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Fowler's Stages of Faith,
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The work of Jennifer Finlayson Fife
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Narrative Therapy,
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Family Systems Theory,
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Positive Psychology,
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Gottman Method Couples,
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Non Violent Communication,
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Motivational Interviewing.
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Neuropsychiatry
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Dare to Lead resources by Brene Brown
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Note: I do not specialize in addictive disorders
My clients bring their whole selves to the therapeutic process - including their intellect, professional ambitions, faith, and the messes. No need to compartmentalize here, we talk about it all.
Being with a therapist who can hold the full reality of who you are makes therapy deeper, richer, and so much more productive.