Mandi Roarke​
M.A., LMFT

I would wake up without an alarm, and have a nice slow morning enjoying a cup of coffee with my family. Next, I’d want to do some yoga or take a nice long walk or hike. I’d like to have lunch out at a fun restaurant and then spend an afternoon by/on the water or somewhere scenic/in nature. On a perfect day, I’d get to finish the day off by seeing a favorite band perform live.

Simply put my love for people and fascination with relationships.
A little more detailed version: I have always had a curious deep thinking mind – sometimes to the point, I wish I wouldn’t think so deeply. But this curiosity about our existence, ourselves, and our relationships began very young within me, my family and my friends. As I went to college, my eyes and mind were opened to the bigger world around me and my curiosity and love for this existence and its various cultures grew even more. After studying Spanish and living in Mexico, I realized how there are many layers that need to be understood about how we create meaning in our lives and relationships. And when I met my partner I became super aware of the complexities of being in a long-term relationship- my fascination with relationships grew. After college, I worked on a corporate learning and development team and uncovered how I did NOT have a passion for training how to sell products but I did have a passion for helping coach team members in their career development. I had the privilege of being able to go to Graduate school to get my Master of Arts in Counseling. From that decision on, I know I chose the path that’s right for me. The path where I get to help people, not just in career development, but in supporting their everyday life experiences on their own or in their relationships.

When I became a mom it seemed like I was reading EVERY parenting blog and ALL the books about how to care for our daughter. I was overwhelmed and anxious about how to do it “right.” Then, one day, I shared my anxiety spiral with my mom about all the things “They said I am supposed to do this way…” She calmly, but firmly, said, “Not sure who ‘they’ are, Mandi, but you need to consider what you’d write in YOUR own book of parenting. Not what someone else says is the right way to do it, but how YOU think is the right way.” Thankfully she shared it at a time I needed to hear it, and it felt like the skies opened for me as a mom. I stopped paying attention to what OTHERS were saying and started focusing on what my little tiny daughter was showing/telling me and what I intuitively felt/knew. We have and continue to create our own little story together.

I LOVE MUSIC! If you are in my home you will notice there is ALWAYS music in at least one room of the house. It is hard for me to list all my favorite bands because I have favorite bands for each year/phase of my life. I’ll share some of my all-time faves. Some of my most listened-to artists are My Morning Jacket, Fleet Foxes, Khruangbin, Wilco, Andrew Bird, Brandi Carlile, Kacey Musgraves, George Strait, Jack Johnson, Willie Nelson, and a new fave Harry Styles 😉

I want clients to walk away feeling even more of an expert in their lives than when we first met. I hope each client will feel more empowered in being able to see inside to understand their mind and also have a curiosity about others’ minds from a place of observation. I also hope clients will gain skills to help with emotional regulation so they can achieve more peace and harmony (less conflict and discomfort) within themselves and their relationships.

As a white cisgender heterosexual clinician, I understand the privileges I hold in my identity and believe a big part of being helpful is to acknowledge and understand the intersection of identity in the clients I work with. I recognize that my perspective is just that, my perspective. I work from a place of humility and not knowing with my clients. I honor the expertise each of my clients holds in their lives and I aim to understand and support them by building off of their expertise and strengths. I seek to learn and grow daily alongside my clients and philosophically believe that my clients and I are equals in the therapeutic relationship we create.