Get to know me

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

Starting with our first session we introduce ourselves to each other to see if I can be helpful to you, and we build on the intake form you are asked to provide. What are the challenges you're facing? How do you understand your situation? Do you understand it? Also, important for me - and sometimes this will take us a while to actually figure out - what are your actual goals for therapy? How will you know the therapy is being useful? If it is useful, how will things be different?

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

I think that my biggest strengths are acceptance, empathy, insight, and an understanding of the continual (and sometimes really confusing) interplay that exists between our thoughts and our emotions. When it's useful, I feel that I have the capacity to help clients use strategic and outcome focused thinking - to help them make the changes they need to make – in order to reach the goals want to reach. Also, sometimes I'm funny.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

From experience, and outcomes, I'm comfortable and have been successful working with young, middle aged, and older adults, couples, and families, from a broad range of backgrounds. You’ll notice from my list of 13 clinical specialties (listed below) that three are highlighted because they apply to so many different aspects of our lives. Anxiety - is a natural part to the human experience. Since we are able to think about the future – it’s also natural that we spend time worrying about it. However, when anxiety becomes overwhelming, it can cloud our thinking, interfere with important decisions, and impact our health. I focus on anxiety because it often underlies many of the psychological, emotional, and relationship challenges we face. An important aspect of therapy is to help us find ways to manage anxiety so that it informs us rather than controls us. Coping Skills - are really important. We all possess natural strengths and abilities that can help us navigate life's challenges—the key is learning how to access and use them effectively. From my training, experience, and research, I feel that effective therapy must focus on helping clients develop these interconnected skills: managing our thoughts, understanding our emotions, acting in our own best interest, and building healthy relationships with others. These four areas work together like a support system, and strengthening them is at the heart of effective therapy Self-Esteem - impacts everything we do and all of our relationships. Basically, it’s how we feel about ourselves. But also – do we have our own back? If we can improve our self-esteem, we make better choices. And when we make better choices - we often improve our self-esteem. The trouble is that it works in reverse as well. Low self-esteem may contribute to poor choices – and those poor choices often serve to re-enforce our low self-esteem. Helping clients understand this cycle is key to our breaking free from negative patterns.