Dr. Nanci Stafford
I am a clinical psychotherapist committed to helping people learn how to build healthier relationships with themselves and others. My work focuses on targeting ineffective communication styles, attachment problems, maladaptive schemas developed in early childhood, and personality issues. I believe in taking a collaborative approach to helping clients understand themselves and their relationships.
I emphasize my practice treating complex and developmental trauma in adults raised in narcissistic, emotionally immature, and toxic families of origin. I work with couples, mood disorders, emotional regulation, depression, restoration of the self, personality disorders, anxiety, stressors, and the like. I also specialize in working with those who've been traumatized by narcissistic-type relationships, also known as intimate partner violence (IPV).
Clients have shared the feeling of being renewed, centered, and able to tackle their lives. Therapy can assist with managing solutions in order to live your best life. You will find a supportive, yet therapeutic environment in which you can grow and achieve the life you desire.
If you are interested in scheduling a consultation with me, please send an appointment request using the contact button below.
Certified Schema Therapist
Certified Trauma Specialist
{I am currently taking waitlist clients}
Florida State University-Bachelors in Social Work 1989
Florida State University-Masters in Social Work, 1992
University of North Carolina-Doctorate in Educational Leadership, 2023
Schema therapy is a treatment approach that focuses on addressing unhealthy schemas, which can interfere with healthy functioning in adulthood. The therapy targets these unhealthy schemas, identifying their consequences, and replacing them with more adaptive ways of thinking. Schema therapists aim to "reparent" the client by offering validation or compassion to reorient their worldview. Although schema therapy is relatively new, some studies have concluded that it can be effective in treating certain mental health conditions, such as personality disorders like borderline personality disorder. However, evidence for its efficacy in treating conditions like depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD is promising but less conclusive, with experts warning that much of the existing research is of low quality. Schema therapy is not considered a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as it draws from other approaches, such as psychoanalysis and Gestalt therapy. The treatment timeline depends on the client's primary concern, progress, and preferences, with treatment lasting between six months and two years.
(click on the title to see a sample video)