I'm a licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Pennsylvania. I received my master's degree from Villanova University, and have been practicing for about 20 years. Whether you are struggling with depression, anxiety, or feeling thrown off by some loss or shakeup, I will help you apply the healing tools of modern trauma-informed psychotherapy, so you can make peace with those troubling feelings.
In our first session, I ask questions and listen, in order to form an understanding of what brings you to therapy, what are the pressures, supports, and strengths in your current life, and what you would like to achieve during our time together.
As a therapist, I believe in every person’s potential to grow and reach their best selves. And because of advances in psychotherapy, now is a good time to face the obstacles that get in your way. By combining old fashioned values of a warm, nurturing therapeutic conversation with the modern methods of trauma, DBT, CBT and IFS informed therapies, I offer guidance and tools tailored to your individual needs. In addition to being a therapist, I have also spent a lifetime studying and practicing self-help methods, and can offer advice and support on many systems of self-development, including journaling, meditation, spirituality, sobriety, and exercise.
To manage upsetting reactions, we'll explore the situations that trigger you. Then through the lens of trauma-informed therapy, we'll help you develop a wiser relationship with those imbalanced parts. By gaining insight into your own intense reactions, you'll be able to learn better approaches, both to your current situation as well as to disturbing memories and triggers. My treatment method requires a mutual collaboration to build upon your existing strengths and add new ones.
I work with the traditional methods of CBT to help you modify thinking habits in order to relieve psychological stress. I also view CBT as a far-ranging approach to "think differently" about your situation to give you the best opportunities for moving past pain points, and restoring a sense of balance. I also include guidance in other behavioral interventions, including breathing, muscle-relaxation, grounding, and meditation.
Therapy methods continue to evolve rapidly, informed by scientific insight into the brain. By combining the new science with mindful self-observation, somatic methods such as deep breathing, and insights into self-regulation and trauma, I teach clients how to manage, regulate, and improve mood and effectiveness.