Removing Barriers to
Therapy and Treatment
​
Keep It Short and Straighforward!
My name is Derrick and I am a licensed marriage and family therapist, and while I provide therapy services for a variety of different issues. I have a passion for providing coaching for people like you.
What is Wrong With Me?
What is wrong with me is a question you are intimately familiar with. You ask yourself this after making another decision that, in the moment, felt like the right thing-the only thing to do- only to be surrounded by the aftermath and wish that you would have just waited a few moments before acting. ​
​
It could be anything from lashing out at someone verbally, damaging your own property, or *insert thing that you did that you are ashamed of because it seems like something someone would only do in a movie*.
​
On top of that, you probably have this sneaking suspicion that other people don't operate in the world the same way that you do. Other people seem to be able to shrug off an uncomfortable experience, while you still remember that embarrassing thing you did in 5th grade.
​
You are probably a sensitive person, but I'd use the term "emotionally receptive" as I am sure being "too sensitive" is a criticism you have had thrown at you often.
​
Relationships have been a rollercoaster, if you have had any significant ones at all. If you have, they usually all start out exciting and engaging-you believe you have found 'your person" only for them to end as dramatically as they began.
​
At the same time you have a professional job or are in a place of leadership within a company or business venture you may have started. When things are good others around you compliment you on how well put together you seem. But your internal emotional world is full of guilt, shame, and self doubt.
​
If other people talked to you the way you talk to yourself...you often wonder why can I just not be normal?
​
What's Really Going On?
​
There are a lot of ways to explain your subjective experience of the world. Perhaps you have a personality disorder that is affecting the way you think and feel. Maybe your brain chemicals are imbalanced and it is causing you to perceive situations differently, or perhaps you are being punished for something you did in a past life.
​
I am kidding.
​
There are no end to the explanations for why you might be experiencing life the way that you are, but to me none of those are the answer. I believe everything that you do, even those things that you look back on and ask yourself why you did them make sense.
​
It isn't what's wrong with you. It is what has happened to make feeling the way you do make sense?
​
Let me explain:
​
I could hold up a belt to a child and one child might look at it and laugh and ask "why are you showing me the thing you use to
TLDR:
-
My name is Derrick Hoard
-
I am a licensed therapist frustrated with the stigma of BPD
-
I specialize in providing life coaching for individuals who identify with the experience of BPD
-
I focus on helping you navigate daily life challenges and develop new internal scripts to respond differently.
-
I give a free 30-minute consultation
Here's How It Works
​
Meet Sarah: Understanding Trauma Changed Everything
Sarah is a tech professional who always knew she was capable, yet she felt trapped in a never-ending cycle of procrastination, last-minute panic, and deep exhaustion. No matter how much she pushed herself, she always seemed to fall back into the same patterns—struggling to focus, feeling disconnected from herself, and crashing into burnout over and over again.
​
She tried everything—self-care routines, gratitude practices, productivity hacks—but nothing seemed to work. No one ever asked her the deeper question: Why does this keep happening?
​
The Missing Piece: Recognizing CPTSD
When Sarah finally sought support, she discovered what had been holding her back all along: unprocessed trauma.
In our first session, we began to identify patterns in her life that she hadn’t fully acknowledged. She realized that her struggles weren’t just about motivation or discipline—they were responses to years of chronic stress and emotional neglect.
For most of her life, she had been telling herself:
​
-
“It wasn’t that bad.”
-
“Other people had it worse.”
-
“I should be grateful for what I have.”
But these invisible survival strategies—denial, minimization, and emotional suppression—were taking a toll on her mental health.
​
Breaking Free from the Cycle
Through our work together, Sarah started to see her patterns for what they really were: adaptive responses to a childhood where her needs were ignored, invalidated, or met with rejection.
​
-
She began to recognize her triggers—the moments in her day that drained her energy and triggered feelings of shame and inadequacy.
-
She learned how her difficulty with focus wasn’t just ADHD—it was a brain that had been wired for hypervigilance and emotional avoidance.
-
She stopped blaming herself for her struggles and began to reconnect with her own needs, desires, and emotions.
​
Within a few sessions, Sarah felt a shift. She was no longer trapped in survival mode. By understanding and addressing the root causes of her emotional exhaustion, she finally began to feel present, grounded, and in control of her life again.
​
What Sarah Had to Say:
​
"I always thought I just had ADHD or was lazy, but I see now that I was living in survival mode. Recognizing my trauma changed everything—it helped me stop blaming myself and start healing in a way that actually works for me. I finally feel like I can breathe again."
What to Expect in Therapy
Session 1: Understanding Your Story and Taking the First Step Our first session is a comprehensive intake. We’ll dive into your background, explore the pressures that may have started in childhood. We will take a look at all of those things that happened that
you may have been told hasn't been a big deal. From interactions with your parents, to other adults, to society at large.​
​
Session 2: We will begin the work of addressing the coping skills you developed in those situations that are not being expressed as mental illness. We will take a look at situations through a lens of compassion and empathy. I will help you also learn how to be compassionate with yourself.
​
Session 3 and Beyond: I will help you through direct intervention and also a process of therapeutic reparenting to repair the damage that has been done. I will help you with coaching through social situations, relationships, and work situations to provide you with the framework necessary to be able to eventually do it on your own.
​
What Makes My Approach Different
The difference in my approach is that I don't see the problems in your life as result of something you have done wrong. I see them as a result of you doing the best you can with what you know. It isn't about gaslighting you with cognitive behavioral therapy, that implicitly states the problem is you. It is about using my knowledge as a family therapist to identify the binds you are stuck in as a result of your experiences and show you the way out.
Who I Work With
Whether you’ve been officially diagnosed with a mental health condition or not, I work with self-aware and high achieving individuals who are ready for a breakthrough. My clients are tired of the same cookie-cutter solutions and are ready to discover something new about themselves—something they can’t figure out alone. Let’s uncover what’s really going on and create a plan to help you move forward. Let's move beyond cognitive behavioral therapy and just "thinking more positively" to active interventions and insights that cannot be found in traditional therapy experiences.
It all comes back to trauma and the things we have been through. You aren't crazy. You aren't losing your mind. You have been conditioned to experience the things you have experienced, because you don't yet know that it is okay to set boundaries, to upset people, and to live independently of their good will. Therapy and coaching with me will help you discover this so you can truly understand what it means to be human.
-Derrick Hoard LMFT
Free Consultation
In this no-obligation session, we’ll take the time to explore your challenges, goals, and experiences to uncover what might be contributing to your struggles. Together, we’ll identify patterns that could be holding you back and discuss how tailored strategies and support can help you feel more in control and aligned with your life.
​
This is your opportunity to ask questions, share your story, and gain clarity about what’s possible with the right approach. Whether you’ve been feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or burned out, this consultation is designed to provide actionable insights and a clear path forward.
​
Let’s take the first step together toward understanding and lasting change. Book your free consultation today!