Hello! I'll get right to the point - these are the main issues I specialize in: 1. TRAUMA/PTSD. This includes all types of trauma (physical, sexual, emotional, psychological) and residual trauma symptoms (OCD, anxiety, depression). 2. SELF and RELATIONSHIP ISSUES, including: a. CODEPENDENCY (i.e. people pleasing, inability to say no, fear of upsetting others, lack of assertiveness, chronic feelings of obligation). b. PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE (manipulative friends, family, romantic partners, controlling relationships, cults, abusive churches, workplace bullying, hazing, sexual coercion, undue influence, toxic people of all kinds). c. IDENTITY CONCERNS (poor boundaries, lack of purpose/identity, career and higher education concerns, narcissism, former cult members). 3. SLEEP ISSUES: Chronic Insomnia, Nightmare Management, and help with CPAP/Obstructive Sleep Apnea challenges. I also enjoy doing dream interpretation. Do any of these describe you or your situation? If so, I'd love to meet you and talk about how we can work together to overcome your struggles. Feel free to browse through my profile and if you feel so inclined, make an appointment so we can work toward restoring balance to your world again. PLEASE NOTE: Individual adults only (18+). I do not work with minors or couples. Please be sure to complete the Intake Form before our first appointment. Failure to do so will require us to spend our first session completing it together.
My goal is to get you to the point where you don't need me anymore. Like physical therapy, the goal is to achieve "maximum medical improvement." I am skills oriented and I use a teaching style to help you learn these skills. Most of my clients spend approximately 3-6 months working with me.
As a former member of a religious cult -- yes, you read that right -- I have personal experience with toxic (i.e. legalistic) churches, as well as professional experience treating people leaving high-control groups. Spiritual abuse is the reason I became a therapist. I have spent the past 30 years educating myself and my clients on subjects such as groupthink, mind control, and psychological abuse. My personal experience taught me to question, question, question!!! For this reason, it is common for me to reject therapeutic concepts that I feel are more based in tradition rather than actual therapeutic benefit.
I am a gigantic sleep nerd and I will teach you more about sleep than you probably want to know. I am trained in CBT-I, the gold standard for treating Insomnia. I also interpret dreams.
I attended the full BTTI with IOCDF in December 2024 (expected graduation March 31, 2025). Over the past few years, I have been relying on webinars and conferences from IOCDF to assist me in my work with OCD clients.
I did not study psychology as an undergrad; I majored in Theatre, and I always say it was the best education in human behavior I could have asked for! I am a Registered Drama Therapist (RDT) with the North American Drama Therapy Association. I have been practicing Drama Therapy, and especially Psychodrama, since 2013. I rely heavily on Role Theory in my work with issues of identity/self.
I am a retired Higher Education Professional with 20 years' experience in Career Counseling and Higher Education Advising at various colleges and universities. These days, I use these skills to help you find your strengths and build a new life and career after a toxic relationship.
I am a solution-based therapist with a professional teaching background at the college level. Do you have trouble with boundaries? I have developed a program that will have you seeing boundaries more clearly in six sessions or less!