About my approach

I’m Carly Stanton, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Board‑Certified Music Therapist (MT‑BC) with over a decade of experience working with people who don’t quite fit the mold.

I work with outsiders, misfits, and people rebuilding—whether that means navigating LGBTQ+ identity, processing family wounds, exploring Jewish identity, or figuring out who you actually are outside everyone else’s expectations.

Therapy works best when it feels safe, honest, and relational—a space where you don’t have to perform, over‑explain yourself, or have everything figured out. I’m here to help you stop performing and start actually living.

If this sounds like you…

You’ve spent your whole life trying to fit in, and you’re exhausted from it.

Your family often doesn’t really see you, no matter how clearly you try to explain yourself.

You’re navigating your identity (sexual, spiritual, cultural) and need someone who actually understands what that’s like, not just tolerates it.

You feel caught between worlds—your family’s culture and the life you’re actually living.

You’re tired of therapists who nod politely but don’t really get the weight you’re carrying.

You’ve been the caregiver, the peacekeeper, the one who holds it together—and you’re done putting everyone else first.

You’re ready to stop performing and start living as who you actually are.

You don’t have to call it trauma for it to matter. You don’t need to have it all figured out before we start. You just need to be ready to do the real work.

How we’ll work together

My approach is grounded, insight‑oriented, and relational. We slow things down, notice what’s actually happening underneath the anxiety or stuck patterns, and make space for the parts of you that haven’t had room to breathe.

Many of my clients have spent years trying to fit into boxes that were never built for them—family expectations, cultural norms, or the sense that who they are is somehow “too much” or “not enough.” Together, we work on undoing that.

The goal isn’t to make you feel better for a week; it’s to help you build a sturdier sense of who you are, trust yourself more, and stop performing for people who were never really going to get it anyway.

My background as a music therapist shapes how I listen—I’m tuned into nuance, emotion, and what’s being said underneath the words. While I primarily practice talk therapy now, that training is still woven into how I work.

I’m client‑centered and pull from different approaches depending on what you’re dealing with—often Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (learning to make room for hard feelings instead of avoiding them), attachment‑focused work, and some CBT when it fits. The focus is always on your values, your life, and what actually matters to you.

A little about me

Outside of therapy, I’m usually drawn toward water and trees. I love scuba diving, being in nature, and watching the monkeys that visit the trees near my home.

At home, I share life with my two cats, and I’m happiest when I’m exploring new places or slowing down enough to notice small, beautiful things in everyday life.