Psychotherapist, Clinical Social Worker, Supervision, and Consultation
You Are the Expert of Your Own Life
I also believe you play the most important role in your own treatment. There may be times during treatment that you will be asked to "do homework"–such as keep track of certain behaviors or reading a relevant book. For therapy to be most successful, you must be willing to take responsibility for your therapeutic experience, and willing to work toward awareness and change.
What You Can Expect
Every therapy session is unique and customized to you and your specific needs. Therapy can be short term and concentrate on a specific issue, or longer term to address more complex issues or to deal with ongoing growth or education.
It is common to have a series of weekly sessions, with each session lasting approximately 55 minutes for individuals and approximately 90 minutes for couples or complex issues.
Here are some things you can expect from working with me:
- Compassion, Respect, and Understanding
- Feedback and perspectives that will help illuminate persistent patterns and negative core beliefs
- Real, pratical strategies for enacting positive change
- Effective, research-proven techniques and tools, along with practical life guidance
Modalities and Approaches
I am very passionate about helping people regain control of their lives and have worked extensively over the last 20 years with individuals, groups, and families at Community Mental Health centers, Addiction Recovery centers, and Community Hospitals. I am an experienced practitioner of:
- Psychotherapy
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- EMDR Therapy–– EMDR works by helping the mind and body better process traumatic events. It works by transforming the way the images feel, and the way the thoughts are stored in the mind and body using a method of bi-lateral brain stimulation.
- The Gottman Method of Couples Therapy––Based on the life work of John Gottman, PhD., and over 20 years of longitudinal research studies on couples and communication. The method integrates the latest brain research with the latest psycho-social studies of couples.
- Mindfulness-Based Therapy
- Internal Family Systems Therapy
Harm Reduction Addiction Counseling
In addiction or substance abuse treatment, you and I will work together as a team using a harm reduction approach. Although we initially receive security and comfort from our habits, some behaviors and habits become more crippling or damaging than others, sometimes destroying our relationships, our lives, and the lives of our loved ones.
Letting go is very hard. Even though we intellectually know that doing so will bring us much more fulfilling and lasting happiness–it is truly very hard. But at some point, we see how much false security we have gotten from our habits and addictions and we want to make a change.
It is scary to look at all the ways we can habitually and subconsciously hurt ourselves and others. It is very brave to want to change that. You have taken the very brave first step to wholeness. Finding someone you can trust to guide you through is a very important choice.