New to Grow
Throughout my life I have had many mentors and supports who have helped me grow as a person and as a therapist. The enjoyment of being part of helping people find a life that is fulfilling motivates me even after almost 30 years to do this work. I became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist because it was an approach that was strength based and free from the blame that in some way we are broken. I have learned that many things impact the choices and decisions we make and instead of focusing on what is wrong the better thing to do is find out what an individual or couple's strengths are and take those, build upon them so that the person/ couple can heal old wounds and find a better way of living. That does not mean ignoring problems, it means healing so that you can better solve your problems.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
Our first session will begin with exploring and identifying what you want from therapy and how you will know when you have reached your goals. We will discuss the therapeutic process and what you can expect from me and what I will ask of you and then we will begin our work.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I provide a warm, safe, empathetic environment often utilizing anecdotes and humor to provide a supportive environment for you to accomplish your therapeutic goals. I can easily flex my approaches to meet your goals. I do not decide what I am going to do because I do this or that way. Instead what I do is that I discover what approaches work best for you and incorporate that into my work.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I am frequently asked what my "ideal" client is. The answer to that question lies in a quote from an ancient philosopher, "The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself." Growth always comes with discomfort and the process of healing is uncomfortable. Anyone who is willing to take on such a task is someone I can admire and respect and that person is my ideal client.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
With CBT we will work to identify negative thought patterns that have created distress and undermined living the life you want. These thoughts are usually ones that we have integrated into our myths about ourself formed particularly in the earlier portions of our lives, though experiences such as trauma can contribute to these beliefs as well. We will explore the veracity of these beliefs. My job is to help you explore other possible perceptive experiences Often these perceptions are inaccurate representations of our self perceptions. My job is to help you explore these thoughts challenge where these perceptions may be inaccurate and help you find more helpful thoughts that can help you in the healing process and living the life you want. Identifying negative thought processes and even replacing them with healthier ones is not sufficient as these new understandings need to translate into action. One of my jobs is helping you find ways to put into action these improved understandings of yourself. We will also work to identify moods and behaviors that have sabotaged you. We will work to develop your ability to develop skills to manage emotions and moods that contribute to negative thoughts and improve problem solving to create a more balanced and realistic view of yourself. This then can strengthen you to move toward making choices to create a happier life.
Hypnotherapy
I have been working with hypnotherapy since 2013. It has been said that hypnosis is a cooperative experience between client and therapist that allows the client to clear the clutter of the work that needs to be done or expand awareness of resources that the client may not be aware they poses. I mostly use hypnosis as a support to cognitive behavioral therapy, I have found it often can help accelerate a client's healing and personal growth. Clients have indicated it is useful to improving self esteem to helping to heal emotional wounds.