Meet Ryan Drewianka, licensed therapist near St. Paul, MN
I’m here to help you trust yourself again.
I provide complex trauma therapy, specializing in helping highly sensitive people, those suffering from narcissistic abuse, and folks with people-pleasing & perfectionist tendencies.
It feels like everything you do is wrong.
Even when you do what seems “right,” you still hear the message that it’s not good enough. It adds up. You think, “Well, then I must be the common denominator…”
You're here because there’s a part of you that knows that’s not true…
… and you’re tired of having that part silenced by your inner critic. You’ve felt like you haven’t been truly seen, heard, or understood by your parents, partners, or peers. You keep giving it your all, doing everything you can to please everyone, but expectations keep rising and your energy keeps dwindling. It’s in those situations where inner critics do their best work; it’s time to stop blaming yourself.
Together, we can work to untangle the falsely held beliefs that your inner critic so insidiously perpetuated. To do that, therapy with me is rooted in cultivating awareness. The more you’re aware of, the more you’re able to see what’s loving for yourself and those around you, and the better you’re able to make decisions that honor who you truly are. When you trust your inner world, your light shines from within, illuminating the world around you.
How I work:
At the core of my approach to therapy is a belief that you matter, and that your lived experiences are valid.
The challenges you’re facing are unique in that the average person just might not get it. Society still often considers it “taboo” to want to avoid your parents despite the strained relationship you have with them. Friends might give you a “WTF?” look when you turn down the volume in your car because you missed a turn and need to focus on seeing better. Perhaps even other therapists have acknowledged that sickening feeling you’ve experienced of wanting to crawl into a hole after saying the “wrong” thing, but they haven’t helped you explore the depths of that pain for the shame it really is.
I get it:
I’ve worked in the homes of children who have suffered from narcissistic family systems and witnessed the damage they can cause.
I’m a highly sensitive person myself and understand the feeling of “running on empty” after doing what feels like “not enough.”
I recognize the exorbitant amount of time and energy that evaporates when you’re stuck in a shame spiral of making sure everyone else is happy, or that what you’re creating is flawless, and the inevitable procrastination those tendencies invite.
Therapy with me is…
-
When we get to work you won’t have to waste energy qualifying the situation you’re in or why you feel the way you do about it. We can simply dig into the details of your experience and find a way to move forward together, without judgment.
-
To be human is to experience pain. A lack of love and kindness transforms that pain into suffering. As one human to another, I aim to honor the pain you’re in and show you the love and kindness you deserve so that you may, one day, see it for yourself.
-
I consider one of my greatest strengths to be my ability to hold space for your entire story and perceive it, in a way, as a puzzle: since you know the image we’re aiming for and have the edge pieces in place, I’m able to help you find the pieces that may have just been upside down.
I often hear from my clients, “Oh, I hadn’t thought about it that way.”
Specializing in…
01
02
03
What is Telos?
Telos (“TELL-os”) is an ancient Greek word that roughly translates to “end,” “purpose,” or “goal.” As humans, we’re naturally wired to be meaning-making creatures; we need to believe there’s a reason something happened, or that we do something for a reason. As we grow up, we sometimes lose that “guiding light” that drives us forward. My practice is based on helping folks rediscover the light within themselves so they feel confident striving forward.
Rediscover your purpose.
My Training & Education
-
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) #4267
M.A. in Counseling & Psychological Services from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in 2021
B.S. in Psychology from Iowa State University in 2013
-
Trainings
Interpersonal Neurobiology course; Dr. Dan Siegel at the Mindsight Institute
Focusing on awareness, attachment styles, and trauma
Developmental Trauma course: Early Developmental Stages; Dr. Raja Selvam at Integral Somatic Psychology
Focusing on attachment styles, somatic exercises, and trauma.
Crisis Intervention Training, Barbara Schneider Foundation
Modalities
Mindfulness based therapy
Internal Family Systems (IFS) based therapy
Attachment & Psychodynamic based therapy
-
Association for Humanistic Psychology (AHP)
Association for Transpersonal Psychology (ATP)
Are you ready to take the next step on your path toward recovery?
To be truly seen can feel terrifying… but maybe that’s what you need to truly heal.
Click the link below and complete the form. I will respond within one business day with available options for us to schedule a free 20-minute phone call. During our consultation, I’ll ask you to briefly share what led you to reach out, and I’ll also be more than happy to answer any questions you have. If you feel like I’m the right fit for your needs, we’ll wrap up our phone call by scheduling our first session and I’ll share what you can expect for the next steps.
live life on your own terms
-
discover your purpose
-
live life on your own terms - discover your purpose -