(she/her)
I have 30 plus years of experience in the mental health field. I am passionate about partnering with you to establish goals and making a plan to reach them. My interests include trauma, younger adults, queer, trans and genderqueer people, veterans, adults scapegoated as children, moral injury, Flash Technique, trauma as a social justice issue, collective trauma, and racial trauma.
We will talk about confidentiality. We will review your intake paperwork. There will be an opportunity to discuss anything else you would like for me to know. We will discuss your goals, needs, and preferences. We will start with coping skills, particularly if you are to be doing trauma work. You probably have more coping skills than you know, but maybe haven't thought of them this way.
I am client centered, which means that I am attuned to you as an individual, and your individual needs, preferences, and triggers. I provide a safe space to explore emotions and thought patterns, past and present. I work with you to conceptualize your goals and dreams.
You are curious and reflective, and you have a clear idea of what about your life you'd like to change.
Trauma Informed Care
Flash is a quick-acting treatment for trauma which does not require delving into the traumatic memory or the related disturbing emotions. Developed as an adjunct to EMDR, this evidence-based practice is safe and effective at reducing distress. Follow-up studies show that its effects are long-lasting.
Narrative
Narrative therapy traditionally involves the patient telling their story, but on a deeper level it can involve exploration of the narratives that we tell ourselves about us, our perceived limitations which have been holding us back. Narrative therapy can ask, "what if" and dare to look beyond the self-assumptions we've long carried. Narrative therapy can reach for new narratives to reach the goals and dreams of the client.
Gender-affirming therapy
My first concern when working with genderqueer, trans, or nonbinary clients, is safety. The client must feel safe, and in order to do that, I must create an environment where they can be authentically themselves. I have been working with genderqueer, trans, and nonbinary clients for seven years as a therapist, and much longer in other contexts.