Licensed to practice in 2 states and accepts 9 insurances. Specializes in Addiction, Anxiety, Trauma and PTSD and 10 more.
(she/her)
New to Grow
I specialize in Trauma, Anxiety, and Addiction and am LGBTQ-friendly. We can identify old wounds and work on challenging old coping skills and beliefs that impede growth and personal happiness. I’ve been working in the field for the past twenty five years with a variety of issues, including chronic and persistent mental illness, anxiety, depression, addiction, family of origin issues, trauma, behavioral issues, sexual orientation, and anger. I have personal and advanced training in working with addiction and Substance Use Disorders. I have also worked with Co-occurring Disorders and I have advanced training in working with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, IFS, and EMDR. I embrace diversity of age, culture, gender identification, and beliefs. While most of us have some broken edges, it need not define us. Together we can heal and transform into creative and purposeful people and find personal acceptance.
Our first session is like getting ready for a Road Trip. We start getting to know each other and look at an Atlas to see where we want to go and plan the stops we want to make on the way. No two people are alike and so our stops are flexible. I like to teach basic grounding and breathing skills in the beginning to ensure my clients have the beginnings of self-care to regulate emotions.
I, myself, am in recovery from addiction and trauma. I worked for years in a substance abuse facility and became trained in trauma during that time. I know that everyone responds differently to trauma and recovery and have no expectations that there is a one size fits all answer to recovering. I don't require you to give an in depth description of your personal trauma, unless you feel it necessary.
Adult, possibly with past issues such as trauma or addiction, wanting help to learn new coping skills and insights into behaviors that no longer work for them. Change can be scary and it takes courage to confront old beliefs and memories that may be holding you back from having a life with possibilities and fulfillment. Together we can confront the areas that have kept you stuck in toxic relationships and beliefs and find a new freedom.
I have been trained in many different therapies for addiction and trauma. IFS has been helpful to identify the parts that seem to come up when we become triggered. There are no bad parts. Once a person can identify how a part comes forward in similar situation, they can decide whether to allow that part to come forward or change the old behavior.
We tend to believe that all of our behaviors are instant reactions, but when we slow down the thought process and can identify the belief tucked into the particular trigger and feeling, we can confront this belief and change not only the behavior, but also the feeling.
Trauma is stored in the body. Somatic Therapy identifies where each trauma is stored and helps you to relax these areas. Once you can identify where you are holding trauma, you can identify when you are triggered. Holding onto trauma can cause a plethora of physical disorders such as IBS, Migraines, rashes, indigestion, etc.
Trauma is like a huge umbrella that creates all types of behavior issues. Some of the categories include: addiction (drugs, alcohol, sex, spending, gambling, food, etc), Personality Disorders, Self-Harm, Shame, Trust Issues, Phobias, etc. It seems to be at the root of so many issues. It takes courage to process trauma.