Meet Anna Buchanan | Couples and individual therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anna Buchanan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anna, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Wow! What a question. Work life balance means different things to different people. For me, finding balance with work and personal life has been a journey that is constantly evolving as I enter different stages of my life. What I thought was balance in my 20’s, looks much different in my late 30’s. The things I value in my life have shifted, along with my perspective on how to achieve balance, what it means and what matters most to me. My perspective on work life balance has been influenced by my values and continues to shift as areas of my life shift in priority.

Since getting married and having a couple of kids, it has been more challenging to find balance. I am energized by my work and my business. I thrive in the environment that I have created for myself and for my clients. Being able to come along side people in their rawest, vulnerable, deepest and most painful moments has been humbling, inspiring and gut wrenching at times. As a therapist, specializing in couples work, I get to see people in their worst moments, in their primal panic, longing to rebuild and reconnect with the ones that matter most. I love being a part of the healing journey for people that trust me with their experience. On the flip side, my family is paramount in my life and I feel energized and refreshed in moments spent with the people that mean the most to me. So creating space for both areas of my life has been interesting. Because I love my family and I love what I do, I have had to be mindful of when work is taking up too much of my time and mental space. There have been moments where the balance has been lost.

I think the journey to find balance has been identifying what is a priority in my life and to create space for areas of life that keep me feeling fulfilled and re-energized. What has helped me achieve balance is being able to create my own private practice and enjoy the clients that I work with, set my own schedule, and have flexibility. Balance allows me to be present with my family as well as with my clients and to set boundaries around work and time management.

Additionally, self-care has been invaluable in achieving work life balance. Sometimes getting re-energized and re-grouping involves being and connecting with my family and sometimes it involves doing things on my own to re-center. I think it is important to grow awareness of how one reconnects with self and others. Again, different for everyone. I love being physically active, doing yoga and reading. This adds to me being able to be present with my family and my clients.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am couples and individual therapist and CEO of my private practice; Anna Buchanan Counseling. As a therapist, my areas of clinical experience include anxiety, depression, shame, relationship distress, communication challenges, self-esteem, acculturation issues, stress, trauma, couples counseling, family conflict and individual healing. I help couples find their way back to the emotional closeness they are longing for and regain or find a new sense of safety and trust that creates secure bonds in relationships. I specialize in helping couples increase intimacy, improve communication, heal from infidelity and past hurts. I also work with individuals to help befriend their inner world and clients who are longing to improve their relationships and make sense of patterns that have kept them stuck in various areas of life. I have earned my bachelors degree in Criminal Justice from Metro and my masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Regis University, During grad school, I started working for an amazing group practice which taught me to be authentic in my work with clients and the support of the group practice has allowed me to take the risk of starting my own private practice. Starting my own practice has been an exciting journey and an unbelievable experience. It has taught me so much about myself and helped me learn to trust myself and take risks. As someone that is risk averse, starting my own practice was something I always wanted and talked about, but didn’t think it would be something I would actually do. With the support of my family and the group practice, I took the risk and will never look back!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take my best friend to the Manitou Springs Incline (after they have acclimated to CO altitude of course), and after that we would head to one of my favorite places-Sunwater Spa in Manitou Springs. It is a relaxing getaway that is located in downtown Manitou with lots of cute shops and great cuisine options close by. We would recoup from the intensity of the incline by soaking in the mineral soaking tub for some relaxation and then head to Crystal Park Cantina for some delicious food!

I have always wanted to check out Hanging Lake but have yet to get there. I would take my friend there, I hear it is breathtaking.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to give a shoutout to my husband. I always joke that if I came home and told him that I want to be an astronaut, he would support that and help me find ways to achieve my goals. He is caring, kind and compassionate. His support has helped me realize my goals and make them a reality. His love for me has allowed me to take risks. One thing I believe in as an attachment oriented therapist is that “we use the eyes of those we love to reflect back to us a sense of ourselves.”

Website: https://anna-buchanan.clientsecure.me/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anna-Buchanan-Counseling-PLLC-Couples-and-Family-Therapy-104496102342850/

Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/anna-buchanan-denver-co/741155