I am well-versed in military specific issues, as I contracted at various installations for six years and I have been in private practice in a military community for over 7 years. Most of my clients are activity duty, veterans, and/or spouses of active duty service members. I am EMDR basic trained and use tough skills with anxious and traumatized clients. Most of my clients have relationship issues due to past traumas that have not been processed. I have a strength-based approach, providing support and practical feedback to help clients address personal life challenges. I am a systemic thinker, meaning I view life as a relationship and each individual within the relationship is an integral participant in the "whole" system. Most "individual" or "couple" issues effect the entire family system.
In our first session together, we'll start with brief introductions, logistics, family history, and then dive into the specific challenges you're facing. We will also discuss how the challenges may have developed and the different systems of your life that they're impacting. Also, we will discuss your strengths, hobbies, coping skills, and attempts to resolve these issues. This will help me create a tailored plan for us to work through in follow-up sessions.
I use this approach as many times what you believe and say to yourself becomes your reality. Thus, changing negative thoughts/self-talk can positively impact relationships & mood.
I am a marriage and family therapist. Thus, most of my training was working with couples. Approximately half of my clients are couples.
I have been trained and using this approach since 2017 as most of my clients have childhood, adult, and relational traumas.
Most men in our society have been taught/socialized to hide their emotions, which is especially true for men in the military. Thus, they often struggle communicating thoughts/feelings and women then interpret this as though they don't care. However, that's often not the case.