How I can help you...
I specialize in individual therapy for adolescents and adults coping with depression, anxiety, grief and loss, maternal mental health, fertility struggles, and personal growth. I also can incorporate nutritional and integrative medicine education for mental health. Trained in holistic approaches to mental health, I combine my knowledge of alternative treatments for mental health issues with my knowledge of counseling to enhance my work with clients. This unique specialty promotes success in therapy.
Therapy and our time together is your chance to sort through your emotions, reflect back on events that happened in the past but are still bothering you today, and look at solutions to your problems. I focus on your strengths, and we explore how your life experiences shaped and guided you, affecting your choices today. The mindfulness based therapeutic techniques I use will help you to understand your programming, to find peace while you heal, and to overcome your struggles.
Therapy is a form of self-care and time you set aside for yourself during your busy days and weeks. By prioritizing you, spending time with yourself and your emotions, and with gentle guidance and support from me, you will begin to feel happier, more confident, have better ways to cope with distress, and feel more at peace with your life and your story.
My approach as a therapist...
Humans are incredibly resilient. We love to grow, change, and adapt. We can endure great physical and mental pain. I believe that our lives are not just products of the here-and-now. We are a collection of memories, life lessons, experiences, and wisdom. Many of our experiences in our families, with friends, and events we have been part of throughout our lives create the person we are today. In technical terms, my theoretical orientation is psychodynamic and I am informed by depth psychology and humanistic psychology.
I use client-centered and mindfulness techniques when working with clients. I encourage the exploration of culture, spirituality, individual values, past and current life experiences and how all of these things influence and shape who you are. Most importantly, I value our professional relationship, your vulnerability during our sessions, and working with your individual needs for therapy. There are a lot of different ways to get an end result in therapy and I work with my clients to determine the best way for you.
You're not sure where to start...
Let's start with what's going on right now. I like to help my clients be able to make it through the days and nights with more ease as soon as we start the therapeutic process. Whether you are struggling with panic attacks, feelings of hopelessness, trouble sleeping, or feeling like you are on an emotional roller coaster, we take a look at ways to manage all of those things so you can feel more confident getting through your day. In addition to immediate coping skills, we start to "peel back the layers of the onion", so to speak. We explore your life circumstances and struggles that brought you into therapy and how they interplay with your story and ability to feel happy and content in your life.
You've never been in therapy before and are not sure what to expect...
Let's face it, therapy can be anxiety-provoking, itself! You are discussing very personal things with a complete stranger. Add that discomfort with the fact that you don't know a whole lot about the person you are talking to and how they can help you with your very unique struggles, and you may have major reservations even getting started in therapy. I honor your strength and commitment to improving your life and work diligently to create a safe, non-judgmental, and supportive environment for you. My job is to get to know you over time and look deeper than the surface into what your story is, how I can help you, and ways we can work together so you can feel better. My job is not to give you advice, solve your problems, or assume I know the right answer for you. As your therapist I will share space with you, support you, and provide guidance when necessary as you explore your story and discover the answers that lie within you.
You've been in therapy before...
That's great! You already may have an understanding of how the process works and what to expect. Maybe you had a good experience in your previous therapy or maybe it wasn't so good. Whatever the case, you and I will either start where you left off or start from the beginning. That is up to you. That is one of the many beauties of therapy--you can create and lead the process you need, when you need it. I meet you where you are in the process. I welcome your thoughts about previous therapy and what was helpful or not helpful. That will help you be more successful in therapy with me.