Selecting a Therapist

The process of selecting a therapist can be confusing and using both your head and heart is prudent. Inquire about education, credentials, and experience of your therapist to determine level of qualifications, standing with regulatory authorities, and professional community involvement. Additionally, because work with a therapist is an intimate relationship, feeling comfortable, supported and listening to your heart is important. Qualifications may check out but if you feel uncomfortable with a potential therapist trust your intuition and look elsewhere. If, on the other hand, you sense the therapist is sincere and caring, you may want to continue the conversation.

Philosophy

Mechanistic and simplistic treatment approaches emphasizing one aspect of the human condition over another fail to treat the holistic individual. Psychotherapy requires acknowledging and confronting one's self. It requires acceptance of one's history, feelings, thoughts, and values. By finding the strength to embrace reality and accepting life on its own terms, we are free to make it more meaningful, fulfilling, and loving.

As a psychotherapist, I engage you to fully understand your experience and self. By shifting out of self-judgment towards self-acceptance in the moment, true change occurs. In creating a supportive non-judgmental space, thoughtfully challenging belief systems and patterns of thinking and behaving, you explore and embrace your unique self.

Couples Therapy

Relationships are an important source of strength and joy as well as challenge and stress. Everyone shares a fundamental need for closeness and security. However, few models to develop and sustain relationships, and navigate conflict exist. Individuals approach relationships with the desire to be understood, valued, and loved. Recognizing your partner as an individual and not personalizing, misinterpreting intentions, while learning to navigate past habitual patterns and reactions is the goal.

Couples therapy is an opportunity to change patterns, develop new communication skills, and deepen your relationship. My focus recognizes the individual dynamics and interactions with their partner, and how the dynamic effects and determines the desires and difficulties in relationship. My active and educational approach balances listening and understanding with a directive method that facilitates interactions, teaches new communication skills, and provides exercises to help you connect to yourself and the relationship. Initially, therapy involves improving communications skills to assist a partner’s mutual awareness of each other’s needs. Later, communication styles that cause irritability, negative patterns that extinguish joy and spontaneity in the relationship are addressed.
My specialty areas include:

• Communication
• Recovery from deception
• Maintain individuality
• Negotiate differences
• Improved sex life

Business Colleagues

Because we spend a large part of our lives at work, our relationships at work are a fundamental part of our lives. Despite beliefs downplaying the significance of work relationships, they are a source for creating personal relationships, developing friendships, meeting partners, and obtaining a sense of accomplishment. Frequently, difficulties in communication, maintaining work-life balance, managing stress, and decision-making impede our work and life.

The goal oriented approach provides education and skills to build successful business relationships. The focus improves the quality and experience at work while broadening our professional and personal relationships.
My work with colleagues and partners includes:

• Communication
• Work-life balance
• Conflict resolution
• Decision-making
• Feedback
• Assertiveness

Teen Counseling

Today, teens face many obstacles and challenges that make it a trying time. Frequently, teens need a confidential safe place to discuss things with a trusted adult. Often, families need support adjusting to the teen’s changes and parents find it challenging to be supportive while setting appropriate boundaries and limits. Healthy adolescent development depends on everyone feeling heard, supported, and respected.

My strength-based approach affirms the teen and parent roles. Initially, both the teen and family work together to understand the issues from everyone's perspective. Later, in consultation with the teen and family, individual therapy with the teen is recommended. My focus assists young people to recognize and integrate healthy self-esteem, appropriate social skills, decision-making and communication in relationships with parents, peers, and friends.
My specialty areas include:

• Depression, anxiety and self-destructive behaviors
• Issues related to abuse and trauma
• Self-esteem
• Communication and social skills
• Addiction and recovery

Individual Therapy

Everyone has the capacity to grow and develop the tools to communicate effectively and achieve personal goals. The goal is to assist you in finding your own philosophical or spiritual perspective in life to deal with problems from a position of inner strength and stability.

My therapeutic approach is non-judgmental and supportive that attends to the in-the-moment experience within our relationship. By focusing on the present moment, you connect with inner resources to discover new facets of yourself, and explore new ideas and ways of being. From this place of self-awareness of thoughts, patterns, triggers, behaviors, and feelings, you can learn skills and make conscious choices and changes that empower your future.

Initially, we articulate your intentions and changes you’d like to make in your life and relationships. Often, we explore your current relationships, work situation, family history, as well as your hopes and desires. I use several modalities to explore these aspects, while offering new perspectives, understandings, and skills that may be difficult to accept and incorporate.


My specialty areas include:

• Depression, anxiety and loss
• Relationships with partner, family or colleague
• Work related issues
• Life purpose and meaning
• Chronic illness
• Addiction and recovery