LMFT, 7 years of experience
Hi, my name is Brittany and I am a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. I have a Masters Degree in marriage and family therapy and live in California. I work with individuals (teens & adults) and couples to help them break free from the shackles of diagnosis and circumstance. I specialize in mood disorders like BPD, Bi-Polar Disorder, ADHD, ASD and more.
Our first session will be to get acquainted. My goal is to start learning about your who, what, when, where and why? Who are you? What struggles have you and do you continue to face? When did you realize that therapy might be a benefit to your life? Where do you want to be mentally/emotionally? Why did you decide now was the time? I also like to open he floor for any questions you have about me or concerns you have in regard to therapy.
My greatest strength as a therapist is my ability to meet my clients where they are and to make them feel truly seen and heard. This allows for a deep connection/bond to be formed which is imperative for my need to confront things later in therapy while still getting good results.
Do you or anyone you know struggle with borderline personality disorder or other mood disorders? I am the therapist for you. We will work on learning how to cope better with life's struggles, fix both personal and professional relationships while finding out how to feel better. I like to use a client centered and relationship centered approach. Depression and anxiety are common symptoms that people with these conditions have to deal with everyday. I am well versed with these diagnosis and can help you manage your symptoms in a healthy way by digging deep into the connection between thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy is an evidence based treatment composed of four pillars: Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Distress Tolerance and Emotional Regulation skills. DBT treatment includes personal accountability and willingness to engage in the practice of skills through homework, behavior tracking and commitment to being willing to create the life you envision living. I most often use DBT therapy with Borderline client but it can also be helpful for the following issues. -Self Injurious/destructive behavior -Suicidal Behavior -Anxiety -Depression -Substance Use -Bipolar Disorder ** I do not do a full DBT program - clients need to also be engaging in a skills class to learn the DBT skills.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy is an evidence-based therapy that focuses on what we think (cognitive) and what we do (behavior). The research shows that our thoughts affect our feelings and behaviors. Using CBT we will identify irrational beliefs, challenge those beliefs and directly addressing problematic behaviors. In addition, CBT looks at an individual’s negative core beliefs and the therapist works to help change the beliefs that aren’t helpful. CBT has been affective in treating: -Anxiety -Depression -Trauma -Phobias -Addiction -Eating Disorders -OCD -ADHD and more… I often use CBT components and homework in conjunction with other modalities.
I often work with couples who struggle with communication issues, intimacy problems and parenting related concerns.
EMDR Trained: Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy is an evidence based psychotherapy treatment utilizing bilateral stimulation- designed to help the brain appropriately process “frozen” fight, flight, freeze responses by safely reconnecting the client to sensations, thoughts, body sensations and emotions and creating stronger more positive neural networks and desensitizing the inhibiting connections. I use this with clients who may benefit from desensitization and often use it in conjunction with other treatment modalities.
Exposure & Response Prevention: is a behavioral therapy that gradually exposes people to situations designed to provoke a person's obsessions in a safe environment. I use EPR to work with client who have OCD or related disorders. You will be encouraged to gradually and carefully confront your obsessions, sit with the discomfort you feel, and resist the urge to do compulsions.