My Approach
I want you to know your story and experience is important. Too often, we discount, diminish or minimize our experiences. Sometimes we do this as a way to protect ourselves, other times it could be because we do not think of ourselves as valuable or important. No matter how you view yourself or your experience(s), it’s important to know that you are not alone.
Through our work together, I will always aim to ensure you feel heard and understood. Sometimes when appropriate, I might use humor or a corny joke to invite some lightness to the space. At other times, I can be direct and firm to ensure old and unhealthy patterns are challenged in order for you to reach your overall goals and create new connections. Generally, I will work from an interpersonal or psychodynamic framework and utilize several techniques in session. It is common for me to pull from the following techniques throughout my work with a client.
-
Psychodynamic
-
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing Techniques
-
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Techniques
-
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Techniques
-
Motivational Interviewing
No matter what, I want you to be an active participant in your therapy. Therapy is a collaborative effort. You don’t like my approach? Tell me. I said something that seemed insensitive? Call me out. You liked a technique or skill I used? Let me know. My corny joke sucked? Well, maybe just leave that one alone. 😄
Remember, I am human too. I, like you, have my own unique experiences and story. This may never directly effect your treatment, but sometimes it can provide opportunities for meaningful connections within the therapeutic relationship.
I truly believe we are all doing the best we can with what we have and when we have compassion for each other we can connect, grow, heal and be better together.
Areas of Specialty
Group Therapy
Group therapy is an effective modality in addition or apart from individual sessions. Process groups allow an individual to gain valuable insight about their interpersonal functioning while within a group of peers lead by a licensed therapist. Group work might be valuable to you if you are struggling within your relationships, have difficulties communicating your feelings, wish to gain valuable self insight and connect with others.
Addiction
As a board certified and licensed alcohol and drug counselor, I can support you in managing symptoms of addiction. Together, we can work to decide what approach is best for you and where you are on your journey. Not into AA/NA approach? Luckily, there are many paths to recovery. As we work together, we can discover which one is best for you.
EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an evidence based approach that has been proven effective for the treatment of trauma, anxiety and other mood disorders. In 1989 , Dr. Francine Shapiro discovered EMDR to be effective in treating victims of trauma. Since then, there have been several studies, books and other research indicating its effectiveness.
How It Works
When something traumatic or negatively significant occurs in our life, our minds and/or bodies sometimes hold on to this experince, leaving it feeling "stuck." As a result, we might experince intrusive thoughts or images reminding us of what happened. Additionally, other symptoms might appear more subtlety in our bodies (such as chronic illness, stomach aches or headaches). It is common for beliefs to accompany these events. Some examples of this might be, "It's my fault" or "I'm worthless." Typically, these events and beliefs are very uncomfortable and can cause an intense emotional response. Many people cope with this by trying multiple ways to avoid all together; often leaving trauma or negative events going unresolved.
EMDR works by targeting (or focusing on) the negative event, trauma or upsetting memory with bilateral stimulation (BLS) or movement from left to right. BLS is usually done in the form of eye movement, but can also be done with sound or tapping. When BLS is conducted using specific protocols, our emotional response to the event becomes less intense causing the brain to be able to think more adaptively about the memory. The brain naturally moves towards healing and creates new connections causing changes to the way we both respond and think about the event. The memory doesn't go away, but the way it feels and the way we see it can change. EMDR gives the brain an opportunity to heal itself.