Hello! I know life can at times feel overwhelming and difficult to navigate on your own. I am so happy that you are taking the step to begin working through whatever concerns you may have. When we meet, I hope that you will find a safe place where we can explore these concerns and develop a plan that will have you living your best life. My role is to guide and support you in building the skills and confidence necessary to live your best life. My style is not always “easy”, I will sometimes push you past your comfort zone, but I will always be empathetic and patient.
My therapeutic style is warm and understanding. I believe in meeting my clients where they're at and allowing them to move at their own pace while simultaneously challenging them to work towards their treatment goals. I aim to develop goals with you that will challenge you to become the person you are striving for and know is in there! While practicing skills in session I will also encourage you to continue this throughout the week, this allows you to see what is working and what we can tweak at the next session for best results for your individual needs.
My niche focuses on the LGBTQ+ community with a specialization in trans health. I am part of WPATH and USPATH and follow their standards of care with the clients I meet. I have also worked in the field of addictions since 2007 and am very well versed in many recovery journeys including step work, SMART training, and harm-reduction. My experience ranges from substance use and other process addictions to include: sex, gambling, pornography, video gaming, food, and many more. While these are areas that I work with most often, I have many years of experience working with clients to overcome depression and anxiety, often times these present along side of the above discussed areas of focus and are conquered through both DBT and CBT techniques.
I have been certified in DBT for two years, during this time I have utilized this course of treatment to help clients navigate new skills to regulate emotions, improve distress tolerance, and practice mindfulness. This continues to be effective for mood disorders, substance use, and interpersonal conflicts.
This method has been heavily used with client’s who struggle with addictions and rumination of thoughts. The CBT model is helpful in identifying automatic thoughts and reframing those into less stressful internal dialog.
As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, gender affirming therapy is very important to me. I am a member of WPATH and NALGAP, I use these standards of care with each client I work with to provide the most affirming support.