About Elizabeth Freund
Hello – my name is Elizabeth Freund and I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist.
Self-actualization is something many of us want. The problem is that there are so many social and cultural voices telling us their version of the truth, that it's hard to hear our own voices above the noise. But having a strong sense of who we are is necessary to see what impacts have pulled us off course in our lives.
Clearing, or at least learning how to live with influences that don't help us, often involve healing trauma we've experienced in life. Trauma can enter our lives in a number of ways. It can cloud our sense of self and our strengths. Healing it gives us a better chance at creating a sense of self that is wholly true to who we are. When we arrive at this place, we can create a path toward self-actualization, utilizing our strengths and skills to help us attune to our higher sense of self.
If you struggle with anxiety or depression, this is a good indicator that you have experienced trauma, or have inherited it from ancestors. I am EMDR trained, and have received further training in intergenerational trauma, to help you heal trauma that didn't originate with you.
If you are a highly sensitive person, but being around others is very taxing to your system, we can do the work of first healing any trauma that may have made it necessary to become a highly sensitive person in order to protect yourself in the first place. Then we can strengthen your boundaries, and your sense of self as an independent person, so you can go on to use your gifts in a way that protects your well-being.
If you are autistic, self-actualization involves working with the significant challenges you might face, in order to create more comfort for yourself in an often hostile world not set up to appreciate or accommodate you. But don't give up the person you are! I help autistic clients to understand the social spectrum they inhabit, so they can make choices in how to live that make room to be themselves, while balancing it with learning skills they can use to find their place in the world around them. Self compassion is the key in this work, so that you can heal your wounds, and develop and grow your potential.
If you are the mother of an autistic child, or the wife of an autistic partner, you might be having difficulties knowing how to be the best mom or partner, and what your child or partner need from you.
Helping women navigate these areas of their lives and integrate resulting understanding and healing with the core of who they know themselves to be, is work that I love to do.
I am EMDR trained, and have extensive training in trauma, anxiety, and autism.
And if you're interested -
I am a seasoned therapist, with much life experience in addition to clinical experience. I have moved past the parenting phase of my life, and am enjoying a long-term marriage. When I'm not in the office, I'm often delving into genealogy, enjoying live music, and gardening in the summer.
I believe we are moving from a time in which individuals have been expected to conform to old family and community scripts, into a time in which we can see and appreciate the depth and richness that is possible when we encourage each other to grow and develop into the people we were meant to be.
Credentials
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of Minnesota
- M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Stout
- B.S. in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Associations
- Minnesota Association of Marriage and Family Therapists