LP, 20 years of experience
My passion for this work is deeply rooted in the belief that everyone, without exception, deserves to be understood. The feelings of uncertainty and emotional aloneness that often accompany relationship distress are a call to action because they trigger and immediately remind us of confusing emotions and memories of harm. My passion for this work stems from the belief that everyone deserves to be understood. Relationship distress often brings feelings of uncertainty and emotional isolation, highlighting the need for connection. In therapy, we'll explore your attachment style—how you relate to your feelings—and help you identify your attachment needs in a given moment. Attachment security is vital for feeling safe within ourselves. Experiencing self-knowledge helps us know how, when, and where to set boundaries. My approach is collaborative, gentle, and warm. Together, we can uncover the reasons behind disconnection and foster secure attachments. I care deeply for my clients, guiding them to understand and express their authentic selves. Focusing on nurturing connections can pave the way for personal growth and fulfillment. My approach is not just collaborative, but also gentle and warm. I reflect objectively to help you observe your experience from a safer place where validation and understanding can be found. Together, we acknowledge, aim, and validate the reasons behind the actions that lead to disconnection with others. I can assist you in mapping your way to healthier connections and re-establishing a safe relationship with yourself.
In our first session, we will discuss why you are seeking therapy and explore how you may feel disconnected and not understood from within or with others right now. We will start by identifying your resources, shining a light on your strengths, and discussing the effects of your beliefs about yourself on reaching your goals. My goal is to create a safe environment, build a partnership, and assist you in moving safely toward your goals.
As a therapist, I aim to help you discover more about yourself and your potential. I approach my work with compassion and seek to identify, understand, and validate what is behind your present experience. My training and background working with diverse populations and mental health conditions help me quickly make the implicit explicit, catch moments of incongruence between your thoughts and feelings, and facilitate a corrective relational expertise. This approach is an accelerated pathway to healing. The foundation is rooted in neurobiology, which means we work to find and repair the root cause blocking access to primary emotional and safe relationship experiences. My work is attachment-based, and the assumptions behind the model are that we all come kicking and screaming into the world as mammals to be nurtured, that we are wired for connection, but sometimes, because of our relationship working templates and present environmental events, we don't feel consistently safe connecting.
Individuals, families, and couples experiencing disconnection, self-shame, difficulty being vulnerable, and wanting to improve the quality of their connections with themselves and others.
I am an Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapist (AEDP, Level 3), an Attachment-Based Family Therapist (ABFT, Level 2), and at the highest level prior to submission for certification as an Emotion-Focused Therapist (EFT).