Barbara Mutagamba

Hello, my name is Barbara and welcome.
If you are experiencing tension, stress, depression, anxiety, self-image issues, co-dependency issues, other effects of trauma, or trouble in your relationship or relationships, or feeling rejection, abandoned, disappointed, hopeless, shame, breach of trust and many other feelings, or you are looking for perspective, a good listener, and/or a nonjudgmental, approachable atmosphere to share your pain and gain some insight into your story, you are not alone.
Over the years we accumulate various life experiences, acquire patterns and behaviors, and then develop certain ways of looking at ourselves and others. Most issues that people bring to me are an exploration and healing of relationship trauma or disruption of connection with a significant other or people in their lives. I like to think of myself as a therapist who disassembles people’s narratives, experiences, and emotions and then help them put them back together in a way that feels better in order to improve lives and find hope during difficult times.
You have taken a huge step towards finding tools to deal with the issues that you are struggling with. I know that beginning therapy can sometimes be hard, but it is often an act of courage, hope, self-care, and self-determination. If this is your first-time seeking therapy, or even if it is not, you might be nervous, or you might have some apprehension. I just want to assure you that this is normal.

MY PHILOSOPHY:
I believe that therapy should be a safe, comfortable place where you should feel heard, validated, and accepted as you are so that you can be honest about what is troubling you. It should be a place where you feel understood and feel comfortable to work out unwanted feelings and behaviors. I also believe that therapy should address physical, spiritual, psychological, and relational aspects. Because of this, my treatment plan for each client is unique and is designed specifically for each individual needs.
I am committed to providing services that help reduce the stressful symptoms that led to you seeking out therapy, whether these challenges are recent challenges or longstanding challenges, whether you are looking to improve your relationships with your significant other or others, whether you are searching for strategies to improve your mood and manage depression, or increase your self-worth, or increase positive coping skills for anxiety, or identify triggers and replacement behaviors, or even strategies to cope with difficult emotions or understanding and processing traumatic experiences.
My goal is not to get you to who you were before the issues started, but to integrate the lessons learned and expand your ability to experience a deeper connection with yourself, partners and other.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY ABOUT ME:
I am a great listener, very insightful, genuine, welcoming, honest, compassionate, empathetic, and approachable. I have a nurturing and gentle approach in helping you set your goals and achieve them. I have spent a lot of time learning about issues that bring people to therapy. I use practical tools that are helpful in resolving conflict, improving communication, and finding solutions. I partner with you to create trusting relationships through honest interactions. Most of all we have fun! There are difficult parts of therapy, but we laugh too.

WHY I LOVE WORKING AS A THERAPIST:
I understand how debilitating some of the life experiences can be and how they can keep us from living life to the fullest. I put a lot of dedication into learning different practice models so that I can help you feel less alone, help you heal and celebrate finding strength and knowledge to become a survivor, help you gain perspective about life’s stressors and disappointments, take control of your life, overcome poor self-image, establish a healthy feeling of hope and faith, help you learn to see your family or relationships as a team and not a burden, help you become less resentful and be yourself again. I consider it a blessing and honor to walk with you through these trying times. I am very relatable, and clients feel understood when they work with me and so can talk freely.

EXPERIENCE:
I have been a social worker for 20 years in various settings. This has ranged from working in mental health settings, to family sessions, child welfare, school setting, working with individuals struggling to start or keep relationships, people adjusting to parenthood, people coping with infidelity, same-sex couples, depression, anxiety, self-esteem issues, life transitions, trauma, or substance abuse.
My experience has taught me that we all experience things in our lives that may impact our lives in different ways and bring us to a crossroad where we get stagnant because we are not sure which direction to take. With a little help and assistance from people who are genuine, empathetic, and accepting we begin to experience a deeper connection with ourselves, our partners, and others. We all have inner strengths that help us through life, and I believe that many people can grow and build on those strengths through encouragement and empowerment. My goal is to work collaboratively with you to identify strengths, patterns, coping skills, discover practical solutions and tools to help you make positive changes in your life.

MY COUNSELING STYLE:
My counseling style is very client-centered, interactive, empathetic, warm, strength based and holistic. I focus on building a safe, non-judgmental environment utilizing a multi-dimensional approach that not only explores your thoughts, your emotions, and behaviors as they relate to different situations in your life, but also explores solutions with the goal of enhancing your ability to achieve stability and growth. The direction we take is determined by your individual needs but there are different theoretical approaches that I draw from. I incorporate evidence-based techniques such as emotionally Focused Therapy, Strength-based therapy, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Problem Solving therapy, Cognitive Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy as well as Narrative Therapy.

EDUCATION:
University of Denver: Master’s degree in social work.
Certificates: Family engagement, Family sensitivity, positive behavior supports, strengthening resiliency, system values, trauma informed practice, cultural competency, grief and loss counseling.
I have over 20 years of experience helping adults, families, youth and couples dealing with anxiety, relationship issues, intimacy-related issues, parenting issues, family issues, grief, loss, addiction, adjustment issues, abuse, anger-management, trauma, career difficulties, as well as self-esteem issues.

LICENSE INFORMATION:
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Colorado: CSW# 09926714

I look forward to working with you.