Hi, I am so glad you have decided to take a step in healing from your past. I specialize in working with people who grew up in families where there was some type of instability or turmoil. This could have been from addiction, mental health, abuse, neglect, anger, poverty, foster care placement, religious trauma or anything that caused some form of trauma. Oftentimes times those who grew up in this type of situation feel responsible for it or that somehow they should have fixed it.
Our first session is chance for you to express anything that is concerning you. It is the start of our roadmap to working together. I like to use this analogy: Therapy is like using a GPS when driving. You are in the driver's seat so to speak and I am like the GPS. I will offer suggestions on which route appears the best to get you to your destination but you are free to choose another route, make a detour, or change the final destination. I just ask that you communicate this to me so we are both working on the same plan.
I believe in the human potential to grow and change. We are amazing creatures and can overcome severe adversity. Sometimes what we need is someone to truly see us, to understand our pain and to be able to stand in it with us until we can move through it. I can stand with you and help you move through your pain. You are not too much and your emotions are not too much.
You may be struggling with some form of addiction, self-sabotage, self-harm, shame/guilt, co-dependency, the trauma of past abuse, or you may currently be in an abusive situation. Do you find yourself asking "Why does this keep happening to me"? You know something has to change, but you just don’t know how to make it happen. If you are ready for that change I am here to help guide you on a healing path. In addition to working with those who have experienced childhood trauma I also specialize in working with adults involved in non-traditional relationships such as kink/BDSM, polyamory, & open relationships. I have worked with many clients dealing with issues of sexual or gender identity or those belonging to the LGBTQ+ population that want an open minded nonconservative therapist.
Learning to accept difficult thoughts, feelings, sensations, and internal experiences and commit to making changes is the essence of ACT. It is a shift from wishing things were different or believing they have to be different before you can commit to actions.
I am a DBT informed therapist and draw on skills from DBT for management of emotions.
We all have parts that developed during our childhood. Each part servers a purpose, however sometimes their methods/actions can seem counterproductive. Learning to accept and appreciate our parts can help us heal from past trauma.