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My Approach

Soul Gardening

I was a gardener long before I was a therapist and when I’m asked how it is my plants seem so happy, I always say “I pay attention — with love.” It seems to me that the two crafts are not all that different. Both gardening and psychotherapy combine art and science, knowledge and intuition. And both involve a certain kind of partnership — between the innate power of life and me. At base level, I believe that unhindered, all of life naturally moves toward growth and expansion. So when that is not happening — with plants or people — the key is just finding what’s blocking that natural movement. And that requires a careful eye for the signs and sources of distress. 

That’s what I’ll be doing with you — listening for what is blocking your ability to thrive and doing all I can do — pruning, fertilizing, watering just so — to help you bloom. I love psychotherapy for much the same reason I love gardening: it will be so much fun to watch you unfold into the healthiest, most beautiful version of yourself as we work together.

Of course, how I do that is a more complex question. 

I am passionate about growing as a person myself. 

Journaling, meditation, reading, prayer, creativity, introspection, new challenges, body work, play… I do it all. And I am deeply analytical, so as I grow myself, I study my own change process itself — the “laboratory of me” as I like to say. This enables me to leverage my own learning for my clients’ benefit. I am always looking to make the messy process of growth be more efficient so my clients don’t have to figure it out themselves. 

Ellen Ronka, Psychotherapist, shows off a large flower, demonstrating her approach to psychotherapy, using gardening as a metaphor for self care and becoming healthy through wellness practice and attention to inner self
Ellen Ronka, Psychotherapist smiles knowingly, with compassion, in red sweater. Stating Commitment to her own continual growth as she challenges her clients to stretch and grow to.

My commitment to my own continual growth also means that when I invite you into new choices that stretch and challenge you, I do it with compassion because I know that territory well. 

  • I believe in going beyond the stance of non-judgment that therapists are trained to cultivate. After countless hours of listening to clients talk about their suffering (while facing my own!), I’ve come to believe that sharing our deepest vulnerabilities with another requires deep and authentic compassion. Compassion is a nutrient-rich mix of kindness, acceptance, understanding — an appreciation that we all face the same core struggles as humans, even if those struggles manifest differently. I believe this is the only medium in which our shameful wounds can be cleaned out and healed. So, I practice the posture of compassion both for my clients and myself, and continually teach my clients to hold it for themselves.

  • I have a holistic emphasis in my work, attending to areas of physical and spiritual health in addition to mental health. In addition to psychoeducational, cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic therapy approaches, I enjoy employing intuitive, experiential, and body-oriented techniques, which are particularly helpful in treating trauma where talk therapy is not enough. I can also find creative ways to integrate spirituality into the therapy process for those who are interested. 

  • Energy Psychology methods (https://www.energypsych.org)

    EMDR (https://www.emdr.com) 

    Internal Family Systems Theory (https://ifs-institute.com)

    Eriksonian Hypnosis

    Pain Reprocessing Therapy (https://www.painreprocessingtherapy.com)

    Havening (https://www.havening.org) 

    Brainspotting (https://brainspotting.com) 

    Deb Dana’s work on Polyvagal Theory in the therapy context (https://www.rhythmofregulation.com)

    Elaine Aron’s research and writing on the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Trait (https://hsperson.com)

    Brene Brown’s research on shame and vulnerability (https://brenebrown.com)

    Richard Rohr’s writing and recordings (https://cac.org)

    Recent findings in neuroscience about neuroplasticity (Rick Hanson, David Eagleman, Norman Doidge)

    Heart Coherence research by HeartMath Institute (https://www.heartmath.org)

    Various trainings and personal experience in cultivating mindfulness