Mina Kirkova, LCSW-C

Individual Therapy and Counseling for Adults

in Phoenix, Maryland

Mina Kirkova - therapist in Phoenix MD potrait photo on blue background

NARRATIVE THERAPY FOR ADULTS

 
Narrative Therapy is a collaborative approach that helps you examine the stories, meanings, and beliefs you have developed about yourself and your experiences.
 
I am Mina Kirkova, MA, MSW, LCSW-C, a licensed clinical social worker with more than 20 years of clinical experience. I incorporate Narrative Therapy into individual psychotherapy with adults when it can help them better understand anxiety, stress, relationships, self-esteem, life transitions, and other concerns affecting emotional well-being.
 
A central idea in Narrative Therapy is that you are not the problem; the problem is the problem.
 

SEPARATING YOURSELF FROM THE PROBLEM

When a difficulty has been present for a long time, it can begin to feel like part of your identity.
 
You may think of yourself as “an anxious person,” “a failure,” “too sensitive,” or someone who simply cannot handle stress.
 
Narrative Therapy helps separate the person from the problem. Instead of defining yourself by anxiety, stress, self-doubt, or a difficult experience, we can examine how the problem affects your life and how you have responded to it.
 
This process can create room for new perspectives and choices.
 

EXAMINING THE STORIES YOU TELL YOURSELF

People naturally create stories to make sense of their lives.
 
Some of these stories can become overly narrow or negative, especially after repeated stress, difficult relationships, disappointments, or major life changes.
 
In therapy, we may explore questions such as:
  • How did this belief about yourself develop?
  • When is the problem strongest?
  • When has it had less influence?
  • What strengths or abilities may be missing from the current story?
  • What would you like your life to represent moving forward?
 
The goal is not to pretend difficult experiences did not happen. It is to develop a fuller and more balanced understanding of yourself.
 

NARRATIVE THERAPY FOR ANXIETY AND STRESS

Anxiety and chronic stress can influence the way you interpret yourself and your experiences.
 
For example, anxiety may begin creating a story that you cannot cope, must avoid uncertainty, or need to get everything right before moving forward.
Narrative Therapy can help you recognize these problem-saturated stories and explore experiences that reflect confidence, resilience, flexibility, and competence.
 
When anxiety requires more structured cognitive or behavioral treatment, I may combine Narrative Therapy with other approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
 

NARRATIVE THERAPY AND LIFE TRANSITIONS

Narrative Therapy can be particularly useful during periods of change.
 
Career changes, relationship difficulties, grief, health concerns, parenting transitions, retirement, or other major life events can challenge your sense of identity and direction.
 
Therapy can help you examine what these experiences mean to you, identify values and strengths that remain important, and develop a clearer sense of how you want to move forward.
 

AN INDIVIDUALIZED APPROACH

Narrative Therapy is not used in isolation for every concern.
 
I integrate Narrative Therapy with other therapeutic approaches based on your individual needs and treatment goals. Depending on what brings you to therapy, this may include CBT, Family Systems Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Strength-Based Therapy, or other approaches.
 
For OCD specifically, I use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) as the primary OCD-focused treatment approach.
 

NARRATIVE THERAPY FOR ADULTS IN PHOENIX, MARYLAND

I incorporate Narrative Therapy into individual psychotherapy for adults from my office in Phoenix, Maryland.
 
In-person sessions are available at my Phoenix office, and virtual individual therapy is available for adults located in Maryland.
 

QUESTIONS ABOUT NARRATIVE THERAPY?

If anxiety, stress, self-doubt, relationship patterns, or major life changes are affecting how you see yourself and your future, you are welcome to contact me to discuss whether Narrative Therapy may be useful as part of your individual treatment.
 
We can discuss your concerns, current appointment availability, fees, and next steps.
 
Mina Kirkova, MA, MSW, LCSW-C
Individual Therapy and Psychotherapy for Adults
Phoenix, Maryland
(443) 322-6552
mina@minacounseling.com

Mina Kirkova, MA, MSW, LCSW-C              

Individual Therapy and Counseling for Adults in Phoenix, Maryland