AREAS OF EXPERIENCE
INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING
Individual therapy gives you the chance to explore your habits, emotions, and behaviors in a safe environment. Self-awareness is essential for change. When you are aware of who you are, you can decide what is in your best interest, and what needs to change to allow your most authentic self to thrive.
COUPLES THERAPY
Couples therapy gets a bad rap. This may be shifting a bit now, but part of the "problem" is that people decide to get help when one person already has a foot out the door.
Like a flower, relationships will wilt without proper care. You don't have to be in a crisis to get help. Maybe you need to reignite the spark that you once had?
When you start couples therapy you will be acknowledging that whatever is happening in the relationship is a dance that you are doing together (unless it is violence). The goal is to learn compassionate ways of communicating so you can understand your partner and yourself better -- for a more meaningful relationship.
RELATIONSHIP COUNSELING
To love is to be vulnerable, and you can't love without risk. It's messy and complicated, and people have issues.
Relationship counseling can help you figure out what you want, when you are ready, why you have certain behavior patterns in relationships, who is toxic for you, and how to ask for what you need. Everyone will benefit and grow when communication happens in a loving way.
PARENTING
No one tells you how incredibly hard it is until you're in the club. Many parents expect to get through tough times by reading books, caring for siblings, or having a psychology degree. If you are the parent of multiples you face particular challenges. Having a space to discuss parenting -- the good, the bad, and the ugly -- is essential to avoid feeling isolated. The world is actually a whole community of parents. You are not alone, and we can talk about it.
DEPRESSION & ANXIETY
Therapy for depression may involve other practitioners, like a medical doctor who prescribes medicine. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is commonly used to change depressive thinking and behavior. This is something we can do together. I also encourage people to try complementary and alternative medicine healing modalities to see what works. Some people benefit from a combination of talk therapy with medication and/or massage, acupuncture, homeopathy, or chiropractic.
All of our feelings serve a purpose, to keep us well. A little anxiety before an exam is normal, but if anxiety gets in the way of your every day functioning then therapy can help you gain control.
Panic attacks can be frightening, and many people go to the Emergency Room thinking they are having a heart attack. You are not alone. It's serious, and it can be managed. Sometimes a medical doctor will be consulted to help with treatment.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Substance use, misuse, abuse, addiction, and recovery are all phases of one's relationship with substances that can benefit from the support of talk therapy. In some cases I encourage clients to participate in 12-step programs outside of therapy.
Changing behavior is only part of recovery -- understanding what led to substance abuse is where the healing begins.
STRESS & TRAUMA
Whether you are dealing with every day life stress, pandemic stress, or an accumulation of traumatic events, you can find relief in therapy. Learning new tools to cope with overwhelming feelings and having a place to sit with your thoughts are part of the process of managing stress and trauma reactions.
EMOTIONAL ABUSE
The impact of emotional abuse can be just as severe as physical abuse.
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