B. Dakota Soto, LMFT

Admitting to the struggle requires vulnerability, and expressing oneself requires a good amount of safety. Unfortunately, due to several varying circumstances on a case by case basis, we do not always feel safe or able to express ourselves to those closest to us, and we may even let fear steal the curiosity of getting to know ourselves. As your therapist, I aim to accompany you on the journey toward your inner workings for confident, outermost expression. I aim for my clients to know that they are worth being listened to, and I value that my clients feel safe with each step into the unknown. My clients will learn skills to dodge the boulders of life and scale the walls of uncertainty. At the end of our journey, I hope you leave with a greater sense of confidence in yourself and your abilities to face new challenges ahead.

Prior to joining New Directions Wellness Center, I participated in a variety of internships throughout my graduate studies. I gained insights into my own specialties and populations of preference through working with adults at a homeless shelter and teenagers in the private practice setting. After earning a Master’s degree in Family therapy in 2019, I spent three years as a community school based therapist serving a variety of clients throughout the Metro Nashville school system. I have developed particular interests working with the presenting concerns of trauma, social and generalized anxieties, mood swings, panic attacks, depression and suicidality, relational concerns, and life changes. I also enjoy utilizing a faith-based lens for clients who are interested. My experience of providing services in a high school shed light on my passion for teenagers and young adults, accompanying their navigation of several, often difficult, life transitions.

I consider myself an eclectic therapist that pulls from a variety of models in order to best suit my client’s needs. Every person is unique, and so I do not believe that one modality will apply to each person who walks through the door. I believe that my clients are the experts on their own lives, and so my obligation is to sit in the passenger seat to assist with their navigation, rather than drive the bus for them. I strive for each client to feel comfortable and safe, and will never force an individual to share something that they are not ready to talk about. However, I do not shy away from challenging my clients for their own personal growth. I believe that every person is capable of seeing life differently and growing authentically with each encounter and conversation. I enjoy utilizing solution focused therapy, trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and person centered therapy, along with components from narrative, internal family systems, acceptance and commitment, and dialectical behavioral therapies. I also prefer a variety of bottom: up approaches that look at physiological responses to stress. I utilize my clients’ values and interests as a road map to metaphorically illustrate scenes of difficulty, explore seasons of change, and acquire the necessary equipment to take the trek toward transformation.