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Individual Therapy in Oklahoma City
You Don’t Need to Have Everything Figured Out
You may find yourself repeating familiar patterns, feeling disconnected from people you care about, or carrying emotions that are difficult to make sense of. You might be managing the responsibilities of everyday life and still feel lonely, overwhelmed, or unsure of yourself.
Some people come to therapy with a specific concern. Others arrive with a feeling that something isn’t working, even when life looks fine from the outside.
You may want to understand why certain experiences affect you so deeply, why relationships keep becoming painful, or why it feels difficult to express what you need.
You don’t need a polished explanation to begin. We can start with what you’re experiencing and work toward understanding it together.
When Familiar Patterns Keep Showing Up
You may recognize a pattern and still find yourself caught in it.
Perhaps you pull away when you want closeness, agree to things that leave you resentful, or feel responsible for keeping everyone around you comfortable. You may hold yourself to expectations that are difficult to meet and find little relief even when you succeed.
These experiences deserve curiosity and careful attention. In therapy, we explore how those patterns developed, what they have helped you navigate, and how they affect your life now.
As your experience becomes more understandable, there may be greater room to recognize your needs, make choices, and respond differently.
My Approach to Individual Therapy
Understanding Your Experience
in Context
Psychodynamic therapy explores the connections between your present experiences, recurring patterns, and emotional history. We pay attention to feelings and expectations that may influence your life before you fully recognize them.
Intersubjective systems theory emphasizes that our emotional lives take shape within relationships. The ways we understand ourselves, express feelings, and anticipate other people’s responses develop through our experiences with others.
In our work, that means taking your experience seriously and seeking to understand it in the context of your life. We may explore how you learned to manage difficult feelings, what became hard to express, and what you have come to expect when you need support.
A Relationship Where More of Your Experience Can Be Understood
The relationship we develop in therapy is part of the work.
You may worry about being judged, misunderstood, disappointing someone, or becoming too much for another person. If those concerns arise between us, we can make room to talk about them.
My role is to bring curiosity, perspective, and honest engagement. Your questions, reactions, and disagreements matter. Together, we work toward a relationship where more of your experience can be spoken about and understood.
What We Can Explore Together
Emotional Overwhelm and Feeling Stuck
Making sense of feelings that seem difficult to manage, hard to name, or disconnected from what you think you “should” feel.
Grief and Life
Transitions
Making room for loss, changing roles, uncertainty, and the mixed emotions that can accompany even welcome changes.
Relationship
Patterns
Exploring recurring experiences of conflict, distance, loneliness, or difficulty expressing your needs with partners, family, friends, or colleagues.
Identity and
Direction
Exploring who you are, what matters to you, and how you want to live when familiar roles or expectations no longer seem to fit.
Self-Criticism and Expectations
Understanding the pressure to perform, care for everyone, avoid mistakes, or prove your worth—and what happens when you feel you fall short.
Experiences That Still Feel Unresolved
Giving attention to painful experiences that continue to shape how you feel about yourself and relate to other people.
What Does Individual Therapy Look Like?
I’m Derek Colvin, a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor in Oklahoma City. My work is grounded in psychodynamic therapy and intersubjective systems theory. Together, we explore your emotional experiences, the relationships that have shaped you, and the possibilities for meaningful change.
We begin by talking about what brings you to therapy, what life has been like for you, and what you hope might become different.
Some sessions may focus on a recent interaction or an immediate difficulty. Others may involve noticing connections across experiences or finding words for something you have carried for a long time.
There is room for uncertainty, silence, and feelings that don’t arrive neatly organized. We work together to understand what emerges and discuss how the process is feeling for you.
I offer in-person sessions in Oklahoma City and online sessions where I am authorized to practice.
Questions About Individual Therapy
Do I need a specific problem to start therapy? No. You can begin with a particular concern or a broader wish to understand yourself. Feeling stuck, disconnected, or unsure of what you need can be a starting point.
Will we talk about my childhood? We may explore earlier experiences when they help us understand what is happening in your life now. We also pay attention to your current relationships, circumstances, and concerns.
What if I struggle to talk about my feelings? That can be part of our work. You don’t need an extensive emotional vocabulary or a clear explanation of everything you feel. We can take time to notice your experience and find language that fits.
How long does therapy take? The length of therapy varies with your needs, goals, and circumstances. We can discuss what you’re hoping for and revisit how the work is progressing along the way.
Can I attend individual therapy for relationship concerns? Yes. Individual therapy can help you explore your own experiences, needs, and patterns in relationships. If you want to work together with a partner, couples therapy is another option we can discuss.
We Can Start With Where You Are
You may know what you want to explore, or you may only know that you want something to feel different.
We can begin there.
Reach out to discuss what brings you to therapy and whether working together feels like a good fit.
Derek Colvin, MA, LPC-S, CGT
The Giant Therapist | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma