Hi, I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia; I also have a law background. I have about 15 years experience in the area of clinical psychology and focus on adults, individuals and couples, from the early 20's to the elderly. My past therapeutic work has often centered on helping clients learn to manage difficult, toxic, manipulative, exploitive. or otherwise abusive relationships. Our work might involve developing more effective boundaries, improved self-care techniques, psychoeducation, shame, and loss and grief.
The first session is very much a "getting to know you" type of experience. You and I will be building a relationship with each other over time and much of the healing will occur within the context of our relationship over time. Therefore, I will be very interested in your past therapy experiences, if any, the issues(s) bringing you to therapy, your ultimate treatment goals, and your comfort with handling periodic "homework," should I ask you to do any. Homework might be completing worksheets or reading a specific book I believe might be beneficial or it might be some ad hoc exercise derived from the work of our session.
Clients tell me they find me to be an excellent listener with probative questions and able to show great empathy and compassion. I feel I am very encouraging and affirming of my clients. I like people very much and find each client I have ever had to be very interesting. I want to be able to help each client to the best of my ability. Also, I have deep experience in the areas of living with an alcoholic or other type of addict, parenting issues, marital strife + questions of separation or divorce, abuse (physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual). I am trained as a psychotherapist, a lawyer, and a spiritual director in the Christian tradition and bring all these skills to my work with my clients.
CBT is an effective treatment modality to help you identify patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors which opens you to insights on how to modify your thoughts and behaviors to achieve a desired change. This is especially helpful with anxiety and depression
Eye movement and desensitization reprocessing helps to change how your brain processes memories of traumatic events. This can help in treating developmental trauma, PTSD, phobias, and even anticipatory trauma. The effect of this work is to lessen greatly, if not totally neutralize, the "charge" of a trauma memory allowing you to move forward without hesitation or anxiety.
If we live, we will experience loss and grief. Sometimes we need help knowing what grief can look like or how we might move through grief in order to recover from our loss. Loss can arise from the death of a loved one, even a pet. Loss can occur with a move (our own or someone important to us) or a job change/promotion, a medical diagnosis, an injury, even the realization of how our life might be different had we only made different choices earler in life.
Rogerian therapy is client-focused, affirming, validating and can be challenging. Using talk therapy, the Rogerian method can greatly enhance connection with your sense of self and improve your relationship with yourself and with others. Feeling less scattered, you can feel more empowered and centered in daily life.