Gregory Sutherland, MSW

A person’s sense of self develops through their relationships – with oneself, with close relations, with strangers, and with the larger world — natural, spiritual, or human. In providing therapy, my primary way of thinking about things and our work together is through the relationship we develop together and the relationships that each of us have developed outside of the room. I bring curiosity and compassion to my work as a therapist. I believe that we must care – to sit alongside another and listen, to be with another person in their own distinct experience, and ensure that they remain the expert on it.

Our sense of self also develops through the stores we learn and continue telling to ourselves and others. In therapy, I work with individuals to listen to and understand the stories that they’ve internalized, to consider how those stories impact our lives, and to explore the possibility of telling ourselves these stories in ways that empower us. As a clinician I challenge stories that maintain violence. Classism, racism, sexism, and homophobia all impact our mental health. Therapy can be a space where a person can consider new stories that might empower rather than oppress, to both accept oneself and to change their world.

Ultimately, I believe therapy is a place where we can look at ourselves bravely, to feel supported in finding the courage to transform oneself and the world. It is not easy, yet we are not at all alone in it here.