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Holly McFarland
About
Hi, my name is Dr. Holly McFarland, and I am a licensed clinical psychologist living in Texas. I got into this field by way of anthropology–I wanted to understand ways of living and participating in the world that seemed different from my own. I remember often wondering as a kid: “what is it like to be someone else?” That question pointed me towards a surprising direction–myself. I started to notice that if I wanted to better understand and connect with the world around me, the best starting point was to understand and connect with myself.
Being alive means going through our own unique Earth School curriculum. While no curriculum is exactly alike, we share common ground that consists of highs and lows, joys and sorrows, comfort and pain. I keep discovering the better I understand myself, the easier it is to connect with others. Which is why I enjoy diagnostic work. Assessment works well when it is not primarily focused on the outcome or diagnosis. It is far more generative and effective when approached as a process of self-understanding: What makes me unique? What are some of my patterns? What affordances and limitations does my own personal design and my environment offer me? How do you shape the world around you and how does the world shape you in turn? Assessment is a process of reflection and invites one to investigate and examine how they participate with one’s inner and outer world.
I believe everyone has a right to investigate and explore who they are and how they perceive, sense, and experience themselves and the world around them. At times, the world can be an incredibly confusing place. It can take a lot of courage and support to orient ourselves and get pointed in the right direction. I love to listen, and have spent a lot of time getting quiet and still enough to listen to myself. For those who want some support and guidance with that, I am happy to offer what I’ve learned and discovered through education, time, practice, and experience.
If you read above, I mentioned that the world can be an incredibly confusing place. AND it can–and is–an incredibly beautiful place. The world is naturally and inherently beautiful if you look deep enough. And so are you. And I’m guessing you’re here because something in you knows that this is true and you’re wanting to look a little deeper and a little closer at that truth. It turns out the things that you are most afraid of actually end up being one of your greatest allies in the end. Together, we will find courage through our fears and transmute them into the gifts they want to be.
