(he/him)
New to Grow
It is super important to meet with a professional that sees and hears you fully, and tailors a working approach that encompasses your needs. Therapy should not be fitting your concerns into one therapy approach, or forcing you to make changes you are not ready to make. I listen closely, and we build an approach together with your empowerment and investment in the process. My approach is warm, flexible, and motivational in nature. I want to learn about you, how you see the world, and how you interact with others. I also focus on areas like attachment, safety, and grounding in therapy. I do not subscribe to the theory that a few quick sessions will have you feeling empowered and amazing. Therapy is a process of intention and focused work, but one that I have observed is worth the self-discovery and healing that can occur. Healing best occurs with encouragement and empowerment in a safe relationship.
Our first session is really about creating safety and warmth in discussing your life and goals for treatment together. Your comfort and safety are especially important to me, and I seek to ensure you are well supported, heard, and seen. I seek to establish a safe, open relationship with clients. It is important to build trust in each other as we continue our journey to improving your life quality, and relationships—most importantly the relationship with yourself. Safety, trust, and care are the primary early session factors I focus on initially.
As an experienced experiential therapist, I specialize in helping clients work through trauma, addiction, grief, and struggles with confidence and self-esteem. My approach is warm, direct, and deeply relational, integrating evidence-based care with meaningful, in-the-moment therapeutic work. I help clients not only understand their pain, but engage it, process it, and transform it into greater self-awareness, resilience, and personal freedom. My approach is authentic, not stiff and robotic. In my experiences, both as a professional and as a client, real recognizes (and values) real.
I enjoy working with individuals and couples from all walks of life. Ideally, I work best with clients who are highly motivated to be their best selves, identifying blind spots, and narratives that no longer healthfully serve them. Whether it is the next step in recovery journey, grief, trauma, interpersonal relationship conflict, legacy, or identity concerns, I have a great deal of experience in guiding the clinical work. It is an honor to share space with clients who desire growth and change.
I identify as
Humanistic
Safety and authenticity make for a solid beginning to the alliance, a relationship of healing we are seeking to build. To me, healing is very hard to facilitate without trust, and I make that my top priority.
Experiential Therapy
Much of my background deals with attachment trauma, and wounds with origination in attachment relationships. The fancy-sounding term really means that some of the work is experienced, rather than traditional talk therapy. Examples of this can be empty chair, psychodrama, EMDR, or somatic experiencing
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Especially useful in couples work, evoking emotions allows what is under the surface to be spoken and addressed
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Reframing and consideration of alternatives to events in our lives, in terms of thoughts related to feelings, are an important portion of clinical work
Gestalt
Empty chair and in the here-and -now are often used in experiential work related to trauma, grief, and many other presenting situations