🌞We're Trying Something Different This Summer

Published: Tue, 06/09/26

Updated: Tue, 06/09/26

Hey ,

As summer arrives and the warmth settles in, we're reminded of the importance of pausing, reflecting, and tending to our well-being. Even (or especially) as schedules shift and routines change.

Welcome Cody!

This month, we're excited to welcome Cody Baker more fully into our team. If you haven't connected with him yet, you'll notice his warmth and clinical skill. He brings something genuinely special to our practice, and we're grateful to have him here.

Men's Mental Health Month

June is Men's Mental Health Month, and we want to use this space to say something simple: the struggles are real, and so is the courage it takes to name them. If you know someone who has been circling the idea of getting support, this month is a good time to extend the invitation.

Something New This Summer: Therapy Intensives

This summer, we're offering something we've been building toward for a while. Therapy intensives are a concentrated format designed for clients who want to go deeper than weekly sessions allow, or who simply can't commit to a regular weekly schedule right now.

The process starts with an intake session where you and your therapist get clear on what you're working toward and what the right shape of the intensive looks like for you. From there, you'll have dedicated extended time together, think two 90-minute sessions in a single morning, or a full three-hour block, with real breaks built in for your nervous system to integrate the work. The exact format is flexible and designed around what you and your therapist decide makes sense.

This format works well for people who feel like they always run out of time in a 50-minute session, who are navigating something specific they want dedicated space to work through, or who have been circling the same patterns and are ready to go after the root of it.

We're offering individual EMDR intensives and couples intensives. If you've been wondering whether this might be a fit for you or someone you care about, reach out. We're happy to talk it through.

As Always

We're here to support your mental health journey, whether that looks like continuing your weekly care, exploring something deeper this summer, or simply staying connected through the seasonal shifts ahead. We're grateful for the trust you place in us and the opportunity to walk alongside you.

Warm Regards,

Dawn Gabriel, MA, LPC

CEO and Founder of Authentic Connections Counseling

MEET CODY!

Our newest therapist at Authentic Connections, and someone who specializes in the things that are hard to talk about.

Loss changes people. And when two people are changed differently by grief, a relationship can start to feel like unfamiliar territory. You love each other, but something between you has shifted, and you're not sure how to find your way back.

When clients meet Cody, they often say: "I didn't expect to feel safe here so quickly."

That's because Cody doesn't show up with a plan and a clipboard. He shows up ready to understand where you are and help you get somewhere better.

As a certified Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist, Cody knows grief doesn't fit a timeline - and that you don't have to "be over it" by now.

Cody specializes in:

Grief and loss

Couples and marriage counseling

Anxiety and life transitions

Trail therapy (healing outdoors)

Burnout and compassion fatigue

Parent coaching

He works with teens, adults, and couples.

Ready to see if Cody is a good fit? Book a free 15-minute consultation with Lauren, our intake coordinator. No pressure. Just a conversation.

Book here!

Therapy Intensives:

Weekly therapy is designed for ongoing support and processing. It's powerful and necessary. And sometimes, when clients are ready to address something specific and go deeper, adding an intensive week creates momentum that weekly sessions alone might not achieve as quickly. It's not that weekly therapy failed. It's that a different format—for this particular issue, at this particular moment—might accelerate the work.

Learn More

The Invisible Struggle: What You Need to Know About Men’s Therapy

It's Men's Mental Health Awareness Month. Here's what's actually true about men's therapy. The stigma and fear around asking for help aren't real. You deserve help too.