In our first session together, here's what you can expect

During the first session we will talk about what brings you to therapy, how long you've experienced the problem, where it might be coming from, and what you hope for in the future. This conversation will also include a review of basic background information regarding mental health history, medical history, family history, employment/education/housing, etc., and set some preliminary goals for our work together.

The treatment methods and tools I utilize

At its core, the purpose of therapy is to talk, listen, and notice what happens. My main approach is psychodynamic, meaning I'll be interested in the past, the present, and the "here and now" of the counseling session. We'll listen for patterns across these areas and find new ways to manage hardship. I am also influenced by existentialism, family systems, and will use techniques from other modalities like CBT and DBT when appropriate. Furthermore, I offer Safety and Attachment-Focused (SAFE) EMDR, a therapy that helps people heal from traumatic or distressing memories.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

It’s my job to foster a reliable space where you can speak freely, learn new ways to manage old problems, and imagine possibilities that may seem far away. My main approach to therapy is called psychodynamic, meaning I'll be interested the past, the present, and the "here and now" of the counseling session. During our first session we'll talk about what brings you in, how long you've experienced the problem, and where it might be coming from. From there I'll take a more detailed history related to childhood, family, education, employment, substance use, etc., and together we'll develop a plan for moving forward. I also offer EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), a treatment that helps people recover from traumatic memories. This involves pairing troubling memories and associated thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations with repeated and rhythmic sensory stimulation (eye movements) to help reduce distress and increase adaptive processing. EMDR may be helpful for those experiencing persistent intrusive memories, avoidance, intense emotional duress or reactivity, somatic or physical symptoms, or severe impairments in coping with hardship. This type of therapy can be used singularly or as a supplement to ongoing psychotherapy.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

In my practice I work with people who experience problems in living. These might be described as anxiety, depression, anger, grief, psychosis, life transitions, recurring relationship problems, self-doubt, meaninglessness, or the residual impacts of past traumas. I recognize these problems do not exist in isolation but are connected to childhood, families, relationships, history, culture, and to experiences of racial, economic, sexual, and environmental oppression. Along these lines, a basic imperative of my role is to embrace the fundamental humanity of everybody I work with.