New to Grow
How do I introduce myself? Hmmm... I am a fellow traveler on a healing journey. I started out as a young adult believing I had something to share with the world. As I began to learn about psychology and counseling, I came to realize that I had multiple issues I needed to heal from. I share this because I want my clients to know that while our paths may be different, everyone has to start at the beginning, everyone has something to learn, and everyone has wisdom to share. Therefore, counseling should be a collaborative process that is fueled by curiosity, compassion, openness, and willingness to learn, grow, and change. I like to think I am an effective therapist because I have willingly (and sometimes reluctantly) engaged in the process myself. I can say with confidence that therapy works, that practicing skills can change your life, that your inner child can heal, and you don't hav to be a victim of spiraling thoughts and out of control emotions or disappointing relationships. Not every tool is right for every person or problem, so I continually educate myself and hone my skills in several modalities (e.g., EMDR, IFS, Guided Meditation, NLP) so I can give you the best possible outcomes for the most common issues (e.g., Anxiety, Depression, BPD, C-PTSD) that I treat.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
I follow your lead and begin where you are. If you you have clear goals in mind and issues your are ready to address, you can dive right in. I'm here for it. If you need a little jump start, I will ask you a few questions to help you identify what you need, and help you determine where to start. I will explain things, give you tools, offer resources and homework, and I will utilize gentle, guided meditation to help you access your own transformative abilities.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I bring in several powerful modalities, all of which align with my strong commitment to mindfulness, healing, transformation, and expansiveness.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
Are you ready to feel lighter, more positive about the future, and less bothered by the past?
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
When we resist our thoughts, emotions, and experiences by fighting, ignoring, or pushing away, those unwanted experiences fight back and get even stronger. Acceptancing what is has the opposite effect. Once you accept what is instead of fighting, you have the physical energy and mental clarity to make a meaningful decision on how to respond and to follow through on that commitment. I will bring to your attention areas where you might be expending unnecessary energy trying to change things outside your control and create space for you to explore options that align with your core values.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I utilize DBT skills training to put you back in the driver's seat of your thoughts, your emotions, and your interactions with others. There are go to strategies to bring down anxiety/trauma/drama when when you get stuck in fight or flight mode, and there are daily practices that reduce the overall tendency to get stuck there in the first place. There are so many skills to pick and choose from. Take the ones that work best for you and put the rest in your back pocket. I teach you how to be your own best friend, and a healthy friendship with yourself leads to healthy friendships with others.
EMDR
I use EMDR to help you separate yourself from negative, emotionally-based beliefs that were formed due to experiences from the past. Because I do this work virtually, I will have you tap your own knees or shoulders while I guide you through the process. This and other left/right stimulation is just as effective as moving your eyes back and forth. As you you process a memory during EMDR, you experience a shift in attitude, belief, emotion, and perspective.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Internal Family Systems is one of my favorite modalities. IFS begins with the premise that you are a core Self with the qualities of compassion, curiosity, courage, clarity, creativity, connection, confidence, and calm. Throughout life, our beautiful core Self becomes surrounded by parts that often unwittingly work against each other and the Self in and effort to protect or be protected. They don't know that the core Self is the one fully equipped to manage everyone. There are manager parts, firefighter parts, and exiles. The managers are the ones who push you to succeed, the firefighters are the ones who push you to get emotional or physical relief from pain ASAP, and the exiles are the little kids hiding in the basement, sad, lonely, afraid. I help you sort out who is who, and remind you that no matter how disruptive a part may be, their intentions for you as a person is protection. Getting to know and befriend all these parts is the work of IFS, and I will help you walk you through a step by step process to do this and get more time with your core Self. We will get to know your wounded child(ren) and provide them with safety and love they crave. You will become the person you would have been if you had had the most wholesome upbringing possible. My mantra is...You CAN go back and change the past!
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Neuro-Linguistic Programming is a fun approach that usually works really fast and is really easy. Generally, I don't need to know all the terrible details of a situation in order to get you a ton of relief. I don't use all the tools of NLP. The ones I utilize most are the Swish Pattern and Timeline Therapy. These techniques are usually done in one session. The timeline therapy is a fun exercise that takes you back to the beginning of a problem. We don't need to really talk about it, analyze it, or even remember it. We just unravel it from your life easily and effortlessly during a somewhat hypnotic state.