Hello and Welcome! Finding a therapist to work with is a challenging task. It’s time consuming. Finding the right therapist, a therapist that you believe is a good fit for you, is even more challenging. I’m going to tell you more about myself and my background to help you decide if I could be the right fit for you. I take a humanistic and person-centered approach to therapy. In humanistic psychology the belief is that each person is a distinct, individual being. A humanistic approach focuses on understanding ourselves and our complex emotions in relation to the broader aspects of our lives including relationships, career, family systems, and society. In non-clinical terms, I believe that our life experiences help shape us and it’s important to understand how the emotions and thoughts derived from those experiences impact us in the present. It’s important to me that any prospective client knows that I value connection in the therapy room. I have always believed that the most important aspect of good or effective therapy is the therapeutic relationship held between therapist and client. If I want to help a potential client explore and understand complex emotions, thoughts, and experiences then it’s essential that they feel comfortable doing so. I pride myself on developing strong connections with my clients. Taking a person-centered approach to therapy means knowing that each individual client will process and experience emotions in a different way. I will utilize different therapeutic interventions based on individual client needs because I don’t think there is a one size fits all answer to progress.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In the very first session I really focus on getting to know you and what brought you to therapy. I will ask background and history questions but also focus on building rapport even asking about your hobbies and interests. We may also touch upon goals for therapy overall, and I will answer any questions you may have about therapy or the process.
What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?
I am trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Motivational Interviewing. I also focus on psychoeducation regarding the impacts of trauma on the brain, and how attachment style affects interpersonal relationships and family dynamics.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I have ten years of experience working in various mental health settings including residential, Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP)/Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP), community based, school based, and outpatient therapy centers. I have extensive experience working with issues related to self-injurious (also known as self-harming) behaviors, suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, different forms of abuse, sexual assault, body image, and gender identity and/or sexuality exploration. I also have extensive experience working with teenagers and young adults ranging from ages 13 to 22. I worked in Eating Disorder specific programs for multiple years where I was a Primary Therapist, but also led therapy groups focused on self-compassion and body image. I developed passion in certain areas based on a mixture of my professional and personal experiences. My passion for certain areas helped me develop my specialties and seek out in depth training in therapeutic interventions related to those specific specialties. My specialties are adolescent concerns (teenagers), trauma, eating disorders, body image issues, and anxiety.