Licensed to practice in Florida and accepts 9 insurances. Specializes in Trauma and PTSD, Depression, Anxiety and 6 more.
New to Grow
I work especially with people dealing with trauma, persistent depression, and anxiety. My approach is warm, straightforward, and collaborative. We’ll work together to understand what is happening, why certain patterns keep showing up, and what you can realistically do to change them. I believe therapy should be both compassionate and useful. I will listen and validate your experience, but I will also challenge you when it is helpful and teach you skills you can use outside of our sessions. Most importantly, you don’t have to come into therapy knowing exactly what you need. You just need to be willing to start figuring it out. My job is to meet you where you are, help you understand yourself better, and work with you toward feeling more like yourself again.
The first session is about figuring out what is bringing you to therapy, what you want to change, and where we should start. We’ll talk about what has been going on recently, how it is affecting your life, and what you would like to be different. I’ll also ask about relevant history, relationships, current stressors, and previous experiences with therapy or treatment. This gives me a better understanding of the bigger picture rather than focusing only on what is happening this week. I’ll explain how I work and answer any questions you have about therapy. We’ll also talk about what has worked or not worked for you in the past so we can avoid approaches that do not fit. If you are coming in for trauma, we will not spend the first session going through every detail of what happened. We’ll start by understanding how the experience is affecting you now and what you need from therapy. Trauma work will be approached gradually and intentionally rather than forcing you to revisit things before you are ready. If you are dealing with depression or anxiety, we’ll look at how those symptoms are affecting your day-to-day life and begin identifying the patterns that may be keeping you stuck. By the end of the first session, we should have a clearer idea of what you want to work on and an initial direction for treatment. From there, we’ll build a plan together and adjust it as we learn what works best for you.
I bring a collaborative, practical, and evidence-based approach to therapy, with a focus on helping clients better understand themselves and develop skills they can actually use in their everyday lives. I believe therapy should be more than simply talking about problems. It should help clients make meaningful changes in how they think, manage emotions, navigate relationships, and respond to difficult situations. My approach is primarily grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), while also incorporating strategies from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), trauma-focused approaches, and other evidence-based interventions when appropriate. I tailor treatment to each client rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. This allows me to work with a wide range of concerns, including anxiety, depression, trauma, emotional regulation, interpersonal difficulties, ADHD-related challenges, and more complex or overlapping concerns. One of my strengths is helping clients slow down and recognize patterns that can be difficult to see on their own. I use thoughtful questions and collaborative discussion to help clients explore the connections between their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and circumstances. Rather than simply telling clients what they should think or do, I want them to develop their own understanding and feel more confident in their ability to handle challenges. I also try to make therapy practical. When it is helpful, sessions may include skills practice, behavioral strategies, psychoeducation, structured exercises, or working through situations that are happening in the client's life. My goal is for clients to leave a session with something useful they can take with them, not just something they talked about. Another strength I bring is being comfortable working with clients who are dealing with significant or complex difficulties. I take concerns such as emotional dysregulation, trauma symptoms, suicidal thoughts, interpersonal conflict, and difficulties with daily functioning seriously while maintaining a calm, respectful, and nonjudgmental presence. I want clients to feel that they can be honest about difficult experiences without being judged or defined by them. I value authenticity and directness in the therapeutic relationship. I will not pretend that change is always easy, but I also do not view clients as incapable of change. I try to balance empathy with appropriate challenge by validating what a client is experiencing while als
My ideal client is someone who feels stuck and wants to understand why. They may be dealing with trauma, persistent depression, anxiety, or patterns that have been affecting their relationships, work, school, or day-to-day life for a long time. They may have tried to manage things on their own or have had therapy before, but still feel like they are going in circles. They are looking for more than a place to vent. They want to understand what is happening, learn practical tools, and make changes that actually carry over into their everyday life. My ideal client is curious about themselves and willing to look honestly at their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and patterns. They do not need to have everything figured out, but they are willing to participate in the process and try new ways of approaching problems. Their goals might include feeling less controlled by anxiety or depression, processing the effects of past experiences, improving relationships, becoming more confident in handling difficult emotions, or simply feeling more like themselves again. I work particularly well with clients who appreciate a therapist who is warm and nonjudgmental but also direct, thoughtful, and willing to challenge them when appropriate. We will not just talk about what is wrong. We will work together to understand it, figure out what needs to change, and develop realistic ways to move forward.
I use trauma-focused CBT to help clients understand how past experiences may still be affecting them today. We work at a manageable pace to make sense of what happened, how it shaped the way they see themselves and the world, and how it affects their emotions and reactions. As clients are ready, we work through difficult memories and beliefs so that the past has less control over the present. The goal is not to erase what happened, but to help clients feel safer, more in control, and less defined by their experiences.
I use DBT skills to help clients handle intense emotions, difficult relationships, and situations where they feel overwhelmed or stuck. We focus on practical skills for managing strong emotions, tolerating distress, communicating more effectively, and making thoughtful decisions when emotions are running high. Rather than expecting clients to simply “calm down,” I help them understand what is happening in those moments and build strategies they can actually use when things get difficult.
I use CBT to help clients identify the patterns of thinking and behavior that can keep depression and anxiety going. We look at how thoughts, feelings, and actions influence each other and work on changing patterns that are making life harder. For depression, this may include gradually getting back into activities that provide a sense of purpose, connection, or accomplishment. For anxiety, it can include learning to face situations that have been avoided rather than allowing fear to keep making decisions. Exposure is done gradually and collaboratively, with the goal of helping clients discover that they can handle discomfort and that feared situations may not be as dangerous as they seem.
I use ideas from Schema Therapy to help clients understand long-standing patterns in how they see themselves, other people, and relationships. We look at patterns that may have developed earlier in life and continue to influence how clients respond to situations today, particularly when certain experiences trigger strong emotional reactions. Together, we identify these patterns, understand where they come from, and practice responding in healthier ways. The goal is to help clients develop a more balanced view of themselves and their relationships, while making choices based on what they need now rather than automatically falling back into old patterns.