CO-THERAPY: When One Counselor Isn’t Enough—And That’s a Good Thing

By Joanna Dixon, LMFT | Matters of the Heart Counseling

Sometimes in therapy, we hit a wall.

Not because the client isn’t doing the work. Not because the therapist isn’t showing up with skill and care. But because healing—especially from trauma—is rarely linear. There are moments in every clinician’s journey when our training or typical approach can only take us so far, and the next right step just… doesn’t feel clear.

That’s when we get to choose:
Do we pretend we have it all figured out?
Or do we lean into the discomfort and look at it as an opportunity for growth, for innovation, and for collaboration?

Last week, I had the privilege of doing just that.

In a session with a long-term client who has done incredibly brave work around trauma and betrayal, we reached a familiar stuck point—a space of emotional blocking that’s been hard to move through. I knew it wasn’t resistance. It was protection. But my usual methods weren’t making a dent.

So I invited in another set of hands and eyes.
I invited my colleague Loren Lyons—an expert in Brainspotting and a clinician I trust deeply—to join us in session.

Loren’s approach is different than mine. That’s what made it so powerful. We’ve worked together enough to understand and respect each other’s strengths, and that familiarity created a safe, seamless bridge for our client. Together, we co-facilitated a session that integrated my relational style with Loren’s somatic and neurobiological expertise. And together, we created a treatment plan that neither of us could’ve designed on our own.

This isn’t the first time we’ve used cotherapy here at Matters of the Heart Counseling.
Sometimes it looks like:
    •    A warm handoff when one partner in a couple’s work might benefit from individual support or from individual to add in family work and all providers in session together
    •    A joint session to help a client transition to a trauma specialist or outsource another specialization
    •    A strategic collaboration when progress plateaus and fresh perspective is needed

The goal is never to overwhelm or complicate. It’s to honor the relationship, protect the therapeutic alliance, and keep momentum alive. Clients shouldn’t feel like they have to start all over—re-exposing every wound just to get help. With collaboration, we can meet you where you are and go deeper from there.

Our team believes deeply in this model. Not because it’s flashy or trendy—but because it’s effective. And because at the end of the day, we’re human too. We have limits. We have blind spots. And we know that your healing is far too important to let pride or ego get in the way.

When you trust us with your care, you’re not just getting a therapist. You’re getting a team. And we’re always looking for creative, compassionate ways to help you move forward—whether that means staying the course or bringing in someone who can offer something different, complementary, and impactful.

If you’ve been in therapy and feel stuck—or if you’ve ever felt like you’re circling the same drain with no end in sight—this might be your sign to explore something new. Reach out. Ask about collaborative work. Let’s team up to move the needle on your healing.

Because at Matters of the Heart Counseling, we don’t want to keep you in therapy forever.
Our goal? To equip you with the tools and confidence to one day counsel yourself.
And when you do, we’ll be right here cheering you on.

xoxo-Jo