I am an outpatient therapist, but I have found that talk - even when combined with medications - has its limits. I specialize in combining talk therapy with non-verbal interventions that are designed to engage a different part of your brain, accessing the cognitive patterns that perpetuate anxiety, depression, and attention impairment. Specifically, I work with psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, nature immersion, sand tray, and self-designed ceremony. This method is particularly effective for persisting stress- and trauma-based symptoms. See more at my website: http://www.invivoecopsychology.com/. I am a practicing LCPC in the state of Maryland and my licensure in West Virginia is pending. I have an additional Masters in Transpersonal Ecopsychology from Naropa University, and I am enrolled in Cohort 5 of Integrative Psychiatry Institute's official Certificate in Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
I use a system called the "transtheoretical model of change" to help match clients with treatment plans that work for them. In your initial session, I will use this model to understand your symptoms, the change you are looking for in your life, and what stage of that change you are currently working on. Then I will suggest a treatment strategy that is customized to you and focused on meeting you where you are in order to take the next step. The strategy might involve talk therapy sessions via telehealth or in-person, recommendations for psychiatric treatment, and/or specific "nonverbal" techniques to supplement therapy for whole-brain change. The schedule of activities I offer can be found here: http://www.invivoecopsychology.com/calendar, but I am also happy to refer out.
What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?
If you are in the early stages of therapy, I will use insight-based techniques in your sessions, informed by psychodynamic and Gestalt theory. I will also provide information about stress and the brain, and walk you through a basic analysis of your thinking and behavior. I will also teach you techniques to utilize nature, art, and mindfulness for stress management. When you have enough insight, I will help you connect with a holistic corrective experience designed to shift well-worn patterns. This may look like an outdoor retreat or a supported series of psychedelic sessions, among other options. If you are on the other side of a cathartic experience and are ready to enact change in your life, therapy will focus on action-based cognitive and behavioral strategies customized to you.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I work well with adults who are not currently in an outward crisis, but who are struggling with persistent depression, anxiety, and difficulty focusing. I have significant experience working with people in whom the above cluster of symptoms is associated with trauma or chronic stress, and is potentially accompanied by PTSD, C-PTSD, panic, dissociation, or attachment-related symptoms.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
Adults working with chronic depression and anxiety, and adults working with symptoms associated with trauma, life-changes, identity-related struggles, and/or chronic stress.