In a life full of uncertainty, loss, and endings, it can be hard to know what we want or what presence we wish to hold. Life is messy, and we have all faced times where we suffer feelings of worthlessness, emptiness, and panic. We may find ourselves so frightened of conflict that we agree to relationships that feel exhausting or shape us into a person we don’t want to be. Our suffering becomes self-protective, but in this suffering, we are communicating an unspoken need for change, for ourselves, for others, and to feel at ease in the greater world. People often come to therapy with the belief that they can no longer tolerate these negative feelings and hope that therapy will eliminate these painful emotions. While I realize the want to escape from what feels overwhelming, my goal is to help you not suppress your emotions but use them to develop skills to co-exist and thrive with them. In therapy, I will walk with you to help you explore inherited fears, ecosystemic trauma, and other cognitive distortions or labels you’ve been given. I will help you when your go-to coping methods have collapsed, and you feel you can no longer keep intrusive thoughts, ideas, and feelings away.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
You’ve taken a big step by starting the search for a therapist, and I’m proud of you for taking this step. I believe that therapy should include intentional strategies and treatment that helps you understand what steps you need to take on your healing journey. This could include helping you to understand how you see your distress and its intricacies, building new skills or perspectives, and ongoing discussions to make these interventions work for you.
What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?
No single approach may be for everyone, so I have worked with a variety of models to hone an eclectic approach, including training in ecosystemic structural family therapy (ESFT), rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I believe that remaining client-centered and strengths-based is the best way to help meet an individual where they are at and support them in their growth, and so I will work to get to know you and create an approach that caters to you and your needs. I believe in the importance of authenticity and transparency, and use these values to guide treatment. I have experience working with children (ages 6 and up) and teens, adults, couples, and families.