Isabelle Abramson - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

In this age of social media and AI we are often presented with such copious amounts of self-help information and advice that we can perceive ourselves as failing if we ever feel depressed, stuck, or like we have failed in some meaningful part of life. In reality, humans didn’t evolve to feel happy most of the time, we evolved to survive, and while unwanted, all those other experiences are also part of life… even a “good life”. Those among us who may be considered by others to be living “well-lived lives” with many moments of joy, peace, excitement, and contentment scattered throughout our day-to-day experience, it is completely normal that we also experience low moods, periods of depression, times of challenge or perceived failure, and struggle. When we are able to accept those unwanted experiences while maintaining self-compassion, compassion for others, and flexibility in how we respond in those moments, we are better equipped to make decisions and behave in a way where our lives are oriented towards continuing to build a meaningful life, despite its challenges. Oppositely, when we orient our lives around protecting ourselves from the inevitable lulls and challenges in life, we tend to lock ourselves into reactive behaviors that thwart what we would find meaningful during more acceptable moments of life, so that it can be harder to experience life (and ourselves), or to relate to others, in an authentic way. 

One of the most common “aha moments” I experience with clients is when they recognize that, for the most part, their mind is doing about the same stuff as everyone else’s, and that except for about 1 out of 10 people in the community who might be considered “high-conflict” and are frequently interpersonally aggressive, it is rare that others’ criticisms of us are as mean or cutting as our internal monologues about ourselves. Therapy offers the unique opportunity to speak to another human being, who is bound by deliberately tight ethical and legal guidelines, about what is going on in there, so that you’re not alone with those internal bullies, running in circles, trying to navigate a life away from them. 

 I have a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Wake Forest University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Boston College. I work with adult individual clients (and occasionally very self-directed teenagers). My fee is $125 per 50-minute session. Sliding-scale appointments are available on a limited basis. I accept Vermont Blue Cross Blue Shield, Medicare, and Medicaid.

You can reach me at (802) 387-0070 or through the contact form at the bottom of this page. I’m happy to set up a free 15-minute phone call so that you can get a sense of what it might be like for us to work together before beginning therapy.