Adolescent, Adult, Children, LGBT

Open, respectful, and enthusiastic describe the therapy I provide.

Many times people go through their daily lives on auto pilot, making decisions and doing things out of habit. This is a normal part of life, but problems arise when old habits no longer lead you where you want to go, especially in your relationships. Therapy is one way people can get back into the driver’s seat of their lives, making conscious choices about which roads to take to what ultimate destination. Therapy can help by increasing self awareness, understanding how beliefs and thoughts lead to emotions and behaviors. This is the foundation of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), my core therapy style in working with adolescents and adults. CBT has been shown to be effective in helping individuals with a variety of issues, such as depression or anxiety, and some cognitive-based therapies in which I am experienced are Dialectical-Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Schema Therapy.  While these serve as a basis for my approach, I often incorporate Person-Centered, Existential, and  Attachment theories as well as skills such as relaxation, meditation, and mindfulness. 

One of my areas of expertise is in the effects of early trauma, and I have experience working with children and their caregivers regarding issues like ADHD, conduct disorder, depression, anxiety, attachment problems. In these cases I typically provide play therapy to the children while also working with caregivers to incorporate behavioral interventions. In these cases common treatment goals can include helping children to identify and express their emotions in healthy ways as well as building self-regulation skills to be able to manage strong emotional reactions.

I also have a strong commitment to respecting diversity and encouraging clients to incorporate cultural factors into therapy.  Some factors individuals might want to incorporate into treatment are ethnicity, sex or gender, spirituality, age, sexual orientation, or specific group affiliations or interests. It is important for me to be open and respectful of each person’s identity and beliefs, and I welcome the opportunity to individually tailor my services to fit you.