Meet Dr. Sikora

A note from  Dr. Sikora

The Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, pictured above, are a most awe-inspiring, overwhelming, and even sacred part of the Emerald Isle. This location helped me to recognize again just what life entails as we walk through it. A part of it thrilling, another part frightening or seemingly too much to bear, and a part delightful in the overall experiences we have throughout life. The practice was named The Wholeness Institute for the reason that I strongly believe that when we experience something the whole of us is in the experience.  As the spiral in my logo represents, the body, mind, and spirit all interact in the forward movement of the spiral.  Thus in therapy we must also integrate change of the mind, body, and spirit in order to move forward to a new freedom in life. 

 While we work together I will focus a great deal on your emotional well-being. In most of life, even in the event of cancer or a head trauma or depression, we cannot separate the mind from the body or the spirit. To begin our work together we'll discuss your goals and where you are in life. Thus we focus on what you hope to accomplish, whether to improve depression and anxiety, to deal with the impact of cancer on your life, or to put into perspective a relationship change and allow you to set new goals and redesign your life. As I work from a psychodynamic, developmental, attachment, and systemic perspectives, I'll guide you as you look at yourself and your history so that you understand how both the joys and pains have impacted you. This will allow you to move forward in your perception of yourself, life, and others. Only then can any of us change or adjust how we feel about our life and shift how we live it forward.  Rather than merely survive, we reflect on the past with the intent of making today and tomorrow healthier, more fulfilling, and a life in which you feel positive and strong. 

While the goals are the same, heath, fulfillment, and a sense of strength and hope, when it comes to brain injury or post-concussive syndrome we often begin with helping you understand what has occurred in your brain. Although many doctors may have explained it previously, I often hear from people, “Now I get it, I understand why I’m different”. This may lead to work on acceptance and integration of this experience into your life and plans. It may lead to a grieving process. Or, it may simply mean learning new skills and tools. In any case, I will be there are you move forward empowered by this knowledge of what occurred. 

I have used my dogs in my practice for many years. Punky, my original therapy dog, was present in session for quite a long time, although he passed a number of years ago. Murphy also was in many sessions, although he recently passed as well.  However, I do find having a therapy dog present brings a sense of calm and comfort to the room as we work through the hurdles you are facing and find the hope, and wholeness, within you. Hopefully the new puppy will join me again in the future, but needs to grow up a bit first!  

One of my heroes is Virginia Satir who spoke of hope as a candle. She encouraged us to hold the candle of hope for another until they can hold it for themselves. I believe in hope. I believe each person is called upon to walk paths that are sometimes well lit, sometimes twisty or even as sheer as the Cliffs of Moher, and occasionally seemingly impossible. But I also believe we are each provided with the tools, the support, and the resources to make it through life. The gift of a companion in the darkness is a rare and precious gift. A counselor or therapist is often able to provide this for us at these darker times. 

I look forward to walking beside you on your journey. 

​

To listen to an interview with Dr. Beth on a podcast discussing Covid-19 and protests in our nation,
press play below:

To watch a brief video clip, press play below:
"I believe
The greatest gift
I can conceive of having
from anyone is
to be seen by them,
heard by them,
to be understood
and touched by them.
The greatest gift
I can give
is to see, hear, understand
and to touch another person.
When this is done
I feel contact has been made."
~Virginia Satir

Affiliations

American Psychosocial Oncology Association

American Counseling Association

Brain Injury Association of America

American Brain Tumor Association

International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies

Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values
in Counseling

Giving Back

Give An Hour - Credentialed volunteer offering treatment to returning veterans and families

Hospice of the Valley - Volunteer

P.E.O. International