Harper West, MA, LLP

Psychotherapy was life-changing for me years ago, helping me gain self-awareness and confidence. I was able to completely change my personality and heal patterns of dysfunctional relationships. I decided to leave a career as a business executive to become a psychotherapist. I truly love my work with adults, children, families and couples. I think it shows in the warmth, authenticity, and humor I bring to each client relationship. 

I work best with clients who are seeking to make long-lasting change and are willing to reflect deeply on patterns in emotions, thoughts, behaviors and relationships that may be limiting their happiness.

Good therapists strive for a balance. They should accept that clients are coping as best they can with learned patterns from childhood attachment issues and trauma, but also hold them accountable with direct, down-to-earth interactions.

For individual adults and teens, feelings of unworthiness are often the cause of anxiety and depression. By learning self-compassion skills you can tolerate the emotion of shame and free yourself from low self-worth, social anxiety, perfectionism, over-achieving and under-achieving, procrastination, fears of vulnerability and intimacy, relationship problems, and other issues.

I am certified in Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy (SCIP) and trained in Mindful Self-Compassion and Compassion-Focused Therapy. I have completed two levels of advanced training in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy. Because of my life experiences, I am an expert in recovery from relationships involving narcissistic and abusive/coercive partners, including gaining skills in assertiveness, boundary setting, and self-worth.

For families, I specialize in correcting child and teen behavioral problems by focusing on 1) improving the child’s shame tolerance 2) teaching attachment-based parenting techniques to create a stronger emotional bond between parent and child.

Based on the scientific literature, I do not emphasize the biomedical approach to mental health that pushes harmful medications and stigmatizing diagnostic labels. I reframe most “mental disorders” as shame intolerance problems.

After graduating from Michigan State University in journalism and pursuing a career in corporate communications, I later I earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the Michigan School of Professional Psychology. I am proud to serve on the Michigan Board of Psychology and the Rochester Hills Public Library Board of Trustees.

My past career serves me today as I enjoy writing psychology books and journals, as well as a blog at www.HarperWest.co.