New to Grow
Hi there, thank you for looking at my page. I know that seeking therapy can be intimidating and I aim to make the process as easy and comfortable as possible. I provide a safe space where you will never feel judged and always feel supported. I prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion. I specialize in working with people of all ages, races, genders, orientations, and identities who are navigating addiction and recovery. This means I also have extensive experience helping all types of people living with anxiety, depression, PTSD, complex trauma, attachment issues, grief and loss, and other challenges. As a gay man, I am passionate about helping LGBTQ+ people address matters common but not limited to the queer community. These include identity exploration, coming out, internalized oppression, gender dysphoria, body dysphoria, HIV/AIDS related matters, and anything else that comes up. I also am particularly experienced and skilled in working with people struggling with meth and chemsex addiction, a problem of epidemic proportions overtaking our community.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
During our first session, I want you to feel safe and at ease. You can share as much about yourself with me as you are comfortable sharing, ask me any questions about my methods, and we can chat about what you want to get out of therapy. If you're not sure, we'll figure it out together. You are doing something very special for yourself by taking a leap and exploring this path. I want you to get all that you can out of the experience.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I am very easy-going and a dedicated listener. My goal is to create a space that feels open comfortable and, once again, judgement-free. I hope you will feel comfortable just being yourself when in a therapy session with me. When appropriate, I love to bring humor into the room and make things light. Compassion is a key word in the work I do: being compassionate personally and helping you find compassion for yourself and others.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I tend to take a client-centered approach which means I am generally less directive and will always meet you where you are. I want to collaborate with you rather than tell you what to do. I also know that everyone has different needs and if you need more direction, just let me know. You might have no idea where you even want to start and I will happily walk the path with you as you start the exploration process. As a gay man in recovery from addiction, I know what it's like to come into therapy with shame, guilt, regret, uncertainty, and fear of judgement. If you have been avoiding therapy for any of these reasons, I think I can be a great match for you. I also must emphasize that I work very well with all types of people, not just the queer or recovery communities. I'm extremely open-minded and compassionate and enjoy working with everyone.
Integrative
I believe there is no one-size-fits-all way of doing therapy so I take an integrative approach that is compassionate, strength-based, and client-centered, using different modalities according to the person and situation. Drawing from psychodynamic and narrative influences, I recognize when behavioral methods like CBT and DBT should be incorporated, or more immediate solution-focused techniques will be most effective. I find behavior therapies extremely effective for addressing overwhelming thoughts, emotional dysregulation, and coping skills development in the here and now. Experience has taught me that we often will benefit most from diving deeper, looking into our past, and exploring our unconscious influences that will allow for lasting change. I've been lucky enough to be trained by psychodynamically oriented mentors since the beginning of my career.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
When I learned about IFS I found it so fascinating that I began researching it and enrolling in trainings and courses. This well-researched and evidence-based modality is about the "family" of parts inside of you, not about your external family members. It looks, for example, at the part of you that gets anxious or the part of you that is self-critical. I've witnessed IFS foster true healing from trauma like few other modalities. In addition to trauma, it is effective at helping us understand and manage anxiety, depression, addiction, and literally anything else. If you are unfamiliar with it, I am happy to explain it and walk you through it.
EMDR
Another evidence-based and fascinating modality, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) has also proven incredibly effective in my work. I am trained through the EMDR Institute which was founded by the modality's creator, Francine Shapiro, and am excited whenever one of my clients wants to participate. It is as effective remotely as it is in person and has the potential to provide true healing from traumatic experiences.