You know how to show up. But who are you underneath all of that?

Not who you've been told to be. Not the version of you that keeps everyone comfortable. The actual you — with your own wants, your own values, your own sense of what a good life looks like. That's what we're working toward.

Book a free 15-min call →

What I'm actually looking at

"What I'm tracking clinically is identity diffusion — that feeling of not having a stable, consistent sense of who you are over time. The self that shifts depending on who's in the room."

This isn't vanity or navel-gazing. A stable sense of self is foundational — to your relationships, your decisions, your ability to know what you actually want and go after it. When that foundation is shaky, everything built on top of it feels shaky too.

The performing isn't fake, exactly. It's real. But it's not the whole picture. And there's usually a version of you underneath it — one that hasn't had much room to exist — who's worth getting to know.

What this can look like

When you've been performing so long you've lost the script.

Identity work looks different for everyone. But here are some of the things I'm often sitting with in this kind of work.

The shifting self

Becoming a different version of yourself depending on who's in the room — and not knowing which one is real.

The borrowed values

Living by a set of rules you inherited, and never quite deciding if they actually belong to you.

The chronic uncertainty

Not knowing what you want, what you think, what you actually feel — beneath the performance of knowing.

The longing to be known

Wanting someone to really see you — and fearing what they'd find if they did.

"We work on sense of self and agency — deciding who it is you actually are and what it is that you want, so you can build a life that feels more fulfilling and intentional. Not a performance of a life. An actual one."

— Tyler Ricks, LPC-Associate

My approach

Identity work is inherently relational — which means the therapy relationship itself becomes a place to practice. How do you show up here? What do you reveal and what do you protect? What does it feel like to be genuinely seen? I draw from psychodynamic frameworks to understand how your sense of self developed, and from AEDP and NARM to work with what's happening in the body and in our relationship in real time.

Psychodynamic AEDP NARM Relational Identity development

Real questions

Before we start.

Isn't figuring out who you are something you should've done in your twenties?

No. Identity development isn't a one-time thing that happens in young adulthood and then closes. Life keeps asking the question — especially through transitions, losses, and major changes. Wherever you are, this work is valid.

I feel like I don't have anything specific to work on — just a vague feeling that something's off.

That vague feeling is enough. You don't need a clear presenting problem or a tidy list of what's wrong. A lot of identity work starts exactly there — with a sense that you've been going through the motions, and you're not sure whose motions they even are.

Do you take insurance?

I'm private pay. Superbills available for out-of-network reimbursement, and I accept HSA and FSA. Full details on the Work With Me page.

You don't have to keep performing.

A free 15-minute call — a real conversation about where you are
and whether this feels like the right fit.

Book a free consult → About Tyler

Virtual across Texas · $125/session · Sliding scale available