Pietruck Therapy Services
Therapy Services
Charlotte Cally, LMSW
(she/her/hers)
Where she studied:
Bachelor of Science in Genetics
– Michigan State University
Master of Social Work
– University of Michigan
What she does at Pietruck Therapy Services
Psychotherapist
Location:
Ann Arbor, Saline & Virtual
Contact:
Meet Charlotte
If you weren’t a mental health professional, what would you be doing?
If I wasn’t a mental health professional, I would be a geneticist! My undergraduate degree is actually in genetics; I love learning about all the factors that contribute to a person’s unique identity, so I considered doing research in this area, but ultimately, I knew that it just couldn’t fulfill me in the same way as connecting with folks clinically and helping them to understand themselves.
What is your favorite quote?
“How strange that the nature of life is change, yet the nature of human beings is to resist change. And how ironic that the difficult times we fear might ruin us are the very ones that can break us open and help us blossom into who we were meant to be.” – Elizabeth Lesser
What is your favorite place?
I love getting to spend time up in northern Michigan at my family cabin, enjoying nature, outdoor fun, and peaceful summer bonfire nights
What is your “feel good” song?
“Good Times” by Sam Cooke is one of the best feel-good songs of all time, I highly recommend =)
What do you do for self-care/self-love?
For self-care, I love to play my string bass and to spend time with my fur babies!
Who is your ideal client?
My ideal client is interested in exploring the connection between their emotional, cognitive, and behavioral experiences in order to help them gain a deeper understanding of themself and to empower them to live in a way that honors their values and goals. I love being a therapeutic partner in navigating folks’ life experiences related to loss, life transitions, and chronic illness so that they can find and feel hope and balance again.
Why do you like being a therapist?
Sometimes when I tell people I am a therapist, I get a response along the lines of “gosh that must be such a sad and draining job” and my usual response to this statement embodies much of what I like about being a therapist. Trusting someone, including a therapist, enough to be willing to share your life experiences, the way your mind works, and who you are with them, is not only courageous, but also one of the biggest gifts you can give to a person. Each time I get the privilege of starting a therapeutic relationship with someone, I also get the privilege of getting to walk alongside and partner with that person in their journey to feeling fulfilled and finding hope again. In essence, I get to watch and work with folks as they rediscover and reconnect with the deepest parts of themselves and life, and what could be better than that?
What is something you wish people knew about therapy?
Though it is an understandably idyllic thought, therapy is not about making bad feelings go away forever; and I like using an analogy of waves in an ocean to illustrate what I mean: just like we can’t expect the water in the ocean to remain calm and free of storms forever, we also can’t expect our life to be free of struggle and difficult emotions forever. So, the goal can’t be to erase the storms or struggles, because it will leave us putting energy towards something out of our control; instead, the goal must be to better equip ourselves to manage the storm. The same storm feels very different for a person alone on a flimsy, wood raft versus a person on a sturdy, massive boat. The person on the boat might not even feel the storm much at all. And that is what therapy can do for you—-the more you know yourself, the more you are equipping yourself with the mental resources that will help to make struggles in life feel more manageable, just as having a stronger boat during a storm on the ocean can help to make weathering that storm a more manageable journey.
What is something you’d like clients to know about you (or how you work)?
I aim to partner with you in navigating your emotional and cognitive experiences to empower you to live a more fulfilling life. My goal is to provide you with empathetic and thoughtful support throughout our time working together. Knowing what to do when you are struggling with your mental health can feel like an overwhelming challenge; in your time working with me, I will conscientiously help guide your emotional growth as we work towards your personal mental health goals together.
What does success in therapy look like to you?
Success in therapy is hard to encapsulate in one description because every person has a unique set of traits, life experiences, and goals that results in the need to allow each person to steer and lead their own journey, with their therapist partnering alongside them. Though it can vary, all examples of success look like the client feeling truly safe, connected, and supported by their therapist in a way that revitalizes them and makes them feel more capable of achieving balance. When we don’t fully understand ourselves, we can feel out of control of our own emotions, thoughts, and choices, but as we more deeply understand ourselves, we are empowered to live a life in which we are able to feel in control and guided by our values and goals.
What are your thoughts about the “stigma” of therapy?
When talking with folks who are apprehensive about therapy, it is common to hear them say something like “I should be able to deal with my problems on my own, I shouldn’t need therapy.” In response, I like to share this perspective; we as humans receive care from medical doctors on a regular basis and we don’t question that need or feel shame for not being able to perform our own medical care. Rather, we recognize that accepting the support helps us to live a more physically healthy life. Just like any other skill, understanding and managing emotions and behaviors is a skill, and is one that can be enhanced when also supported through therapy; just as medical care helps keep you physically healthy, therapy can help you to be more mentally healthy! Therapy helps everyone.
Populations:
Young Adults, Adults & Couples
Treatment Modalities:
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment Theory
- Behavior Counseling
- Breath Work
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
- Compassion Focused Therapy
- Development of Rituals
- Expressive Therapy
- Holistic Therapy
- Inner Child/“Parts” Work
- Integrative Therapy
- Meditation and Mindful Movement
- Mindfulness
- Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Person-Centered Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Psychoeducation
- Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT)
- Strength-Based Therapy
- Trauma Informed Care
- Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness
- Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
Professional Specializations
- Anxiety
- Athletes/Former Athletes
- Chronic Pain and Illness
- Coping Skills
- Depression
- Educators
- Emotional Regulation
- Folx Trying to Break Generational Cycles
- Food and Body
- Grief and Loss
- Healers and Healthcare Workers
- Healthcare Workers
- Identity Discovery, Loss, Building
- Insomnia
- Integrative/Holistic Therapy
- LGBTQIA+
- LGBTQIA2S+ and Questioning Folx
- Life Transitions
- Mindfulness
- OCD
- Other Helping Professionals and Fellow Therapists
- Parenting
- Personal Empowerment
- Professionals and Entrepreneurs
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Relationships
- Self-Esteem
- Sexual Harassment
- Stress
- Substance Abuse and Codependency
- Trauma
- Type-A Personality
- Women’s Health & Postpartum
- Work/Life Balance
Charlotte Cally, LMSW
(she/her/hers)
Where she studied:
Bachelor of Science in Genetics
– Michigan State University
Master of Social Work
– University of Michigan
What she does at Pietruck Therapy Services
Psychotherapist
Location:
Ann Arbor
Contact:
Meet Charlotte
If you weren’t a mental health professional, what would you be doing?
If I wasn’t a mental health professional, I would be a geneticist! My undergraduate degree is actually in genetics; I love learning about all the factors that contribute to a person’s unique identity, so I considered doing research in this area, but ultimately, I knew that it just couldn’t fulfill me in the same way as connecting with folks clinically and helping them to understand themselves.
What is your favorite quote?
“How strange that the nature of life is change, yet the nature of human beings is to resist change. And how ironic that the difficult times we fear might ruin us are the very ones that can break us open and help us blossom into who we were meant to be.” – Elizabeth Lesser
What is your favorite place?
I love getting to spend time up in northern Michigan at my family cabin, enjoying nature, outdoor fun, and peaceful summer bonfire nights
What is your “feel good” song?
“Good Times” by Sam Cooke is one of the best feel-good songs of all time, I highly recommend =)
What do you do for self-care/self-love?
For self-care, I love to play my string bass and to spend time with my fur babies!
Who is your ideal client?
My ideal client is interested in exploring the connection between their emotional, cognitive, and behavioral experiences in order to help them gain a deeper understanding of themself and to empower them to live in a way that honors their values and goals. I love being a therapeutic partner in navigating folks’ life experiences related to loss, life transitions, and chronic illness so that they can find and feel hope and balance again.
Why do you like being a therapist?
Sometimes when I tell people I am a therapist, I get a response along the lines of “gosh that must be such a sad and draining job” and my usual response to this statement embodies much of what I like about being a therapist. Trusting someone, including a therapist, enough to be willing to share your life experiences, the way your mind works, and who you are with them, is not only courageous, but also one of the biggest gifts you can give to a person. Each time I get the privilege of starting a therapeutic relationship with someone, I also get the privilege of getting to walk alongside and partner with that person in their journey to feeling fulfilled and finding hope again. In essence, I get to watch and work with folks as they rediscover and reconnect with the deepest parts of themselves and life, and what could be better than that?
What is something you wish people knew about therapy?
Though it is an understandably idyllic thought, therapy is not about making bad feelings go away forever; and I like using an analogy of waves in an ocean to illustrate what I mean: just like we can’t expect the water in the ocean to remain calm and free of storms forever, we also can’t expect our life to be free of struggle and difficult emotions forever. So, the goal can’t be to erase the storms or struggles, because it will leave us putting energy towards something out of our control; instead, the goal must be to better equip ourselves to manage the storm. The same storm feels very different for a person alone on a flimsy, wood raft versus a person on a sturdy, massive boat. The person on the boat might not even feel the storm much at all. And that is what therapy can do for you—-the more you know yourself, the more you are equipping yourself with the mental resources that will help to make struggles in life feel more manageable, just as having a stronger boat during a storm on the ocean can help to make weathering that storm a more manageable journey.
What is something you’d like clients to know about you (or how you work)?
I aim to partner with you in navigating your emotional and cognitive experiences to empower you to live a more fulfilling life. My goal is to provide you with empathetic and thoughtful support throughout our time working together. Knowing what to do when you are struggling with your mental health can feel like an overwhelming challenge; in your time working with me, I will conscientiously help guide your emotional growth as we work towards your personal mental health goals together.
What does success in therapy look like to you?
Success in therapy is hard to encapsulate in one description because every person has a unique set of traits, life experiences, and goals that results in the need to allow each person to steer and lead their own journey, with their therapist partnering alongside them. Though it can vary, all examples of success look like the client feeling truly safe, connected, and supported by their therapist in a way that revitalizes them and makes them feel more capable of achieving balance. When we don’t fully understand ourselves, we can feel out of control of our own emotions, thoughts, and choices, but as we more deeply understand ourselves, we are empowered to live a life in which we are able to feel in control and guided by our values and goals.
What are your thoughts about the “stigma” of therapy?
When talking with folks who are apprehensive about therapy, it is common to hear them say something like “I should be able to deal with my problems on my own, I shouldn’t need therapy.” In response, I like to share this perspective; we as humans receive care from medical doctors on a regular basis and we don’t question that need or feel shame for not being able to perform our own medical care. Rather, we recognize that accepting the support helps us to live a more physically healthy life. Just like any other skill, understanding and managing emotions and behaviors is a skill, and is one that can be enhanced when also supported through therapy; just as medical care helps keep you physically healthy, therapy can help you to be more mentally healthy! Therapy helps everyone.
Populations:
Young Adults, Adults & Couples
Treatment Modalities:
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment Theory
- Behavior Counseling
- Breath Work
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
- Compassion Focused Therapy
- Development of Rituals
- Expressive Therapy
- Holistic Therapy
- Inner Child/“Parts” Work
- Integrative Therapy
- Meditation and Mindful Movement
- Mindfulness
- Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Person-Centered Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Psychoeducation
- Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT)
- Strength-Based Therapy
- Trauma Informed Care
- Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness
- Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
Professional Specializations
- Anxiety
- Athletes/Former Athletes
- Chronic Pain and Illness
- Coping Skills
- Depression
- Educators
- Emotional Regulation
- Folx Trying to Break Generational Cycles
- Food and Body
- Grief and Loss
- Healers and Healthcare Workers
- Healthcare Workers
- Identity Discovery, Loss, Building
- Insomnia
- Integrative/Holistic Therapy
- LGBTQIA+
- LGBTQIA2S+ and Questioning Folx
- Life Transitions
- Mindfulness
- OCD
- Other Helping Professionals and Fellow Therapists
- Parenting
- Personal Empowerment
- Professionals and Entrepreneurs
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Relationships
- Self-Esteem
- Sexual Harassment
- Stress
- Substance Abuse and Codependency
- Trauma
- Type-A Personality
- Women’s Health & Postpartum
- Work/Life Balance
Background
Charlotte’s clinical experience began at a grief support center for bereaved families. Her experience there helped affirm her passion for supporting people through grief and loss, trauma, and difficult life transitions. In addition to grief and loss work, she has a special interest in anxiety-related disorders, depression, chronic pain/illness, and terminal illness. Charlotte’s clinical experience has included work with children, adolescents, adults, and families. She has also worked in the public-school setting providing clinical groups to middle school and high school-aged students.
