Helping People Find Therapists & Advocating for Ethical and Healthy Therapy & Marriage Counseling Practices

My Approach to Helping

The decision to pursue therapy is a personal one. It is also a courageous and bold step in one's life. I believe that all persons have an innate strength and ability to contribute to their own healing and growth.
I provide a supportive, nonjudgmental environment where we can interactively work together toward your personal and therapeutic goals, exploring the nature of the issues you are facing in depth and developing a treatment plan to overcome and/or manage their effects in your life.
I will treat you in a patient, respectful and caring manner and offer you compassion and empathic listening along the way in order to bring about the most effective and qualitative therapeutic change. I assess the whole person, tending to all aspects of your health and well being, including spirituality and practical struggles.
We will work at a pace that is comfortable for you and strive toward carefully planned goals in a safe and nurturing atmosphere. In my practice, I encourage self-expression, acceptance, patience and understanding in order to achieve the greatest level of personal development, healing and growth.

 

 

My View on the Purpose of Psychotherapy

Growth, healing, self-awareness, acceptance, learning, and an overall healthier life.

 

Had a Negative Therapy Experience?

Unfortunately some therapist-client relationships don't work out for a variety of reasons. If a negative experience has occurred, I would try to identify what happened in the relationship, in order to learn and grow from the experience. I also would hope that negative experiences would indicate the need to pursue therapy with a provider that does fit well with the client. A person in need of help deserves to get services, and providers who are caring and effective also deserve the chance to work with such an invididual. There are many wonderful therapists out there.

 

What I Say to People Concerned about the Therapy Process

I work interactively with clients, at a pace which is comfortable for them. While exploring painful feelings, I pause periodically for feedback from clients. If we need to slow down, we do so. I offer support and guidance, but I do not push a person who is in pain and courageously facing the source of those emotions.

 

Why Going to Therapy Does Not Mean You are Weak or Flawed

All people experience suffering in their lives. Those experiences affect us differently, often profoundly. It takes tremendous strength to examine those experiences, acknowledge how they have changed us, and ask for help in facing, resolving, and healing from them. A person who chooses this (more difficult) path is courageous, not weak. Unfortunately there is a lot of ignorance and stigma still out there with respect to mental illnesses; his only serves to compound the pain felt by individuals who are facing their psychological issues. One thing to keep in mind is that your emotional health is more important than another person's opinion. With strength, determination, and perseverance, you can begin to feel better. You may even inspire individuals who have offered criticisms to examine their own motivation for their judgmental behavior.

Services I Provide

• Individual Therapy & Counseling
• Marriage, Couples, or Relationship Counseling
• Consultation
• Online Counseling / Phone Therapy
• Home-Based Therapy

Ages I Work With

• Children
• Teens
• Adults
• Elders

Languages I Speak

• English
• Spanish

Groups I Work With

Military/veteran trauma, survivors of natural disasters, sexual assault survivors

Therapy Approaches I Use

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy /REBT
• Integration of different therapy models
• Interpersonal Psychotherapy
• Mindfulness Based Approaches
• Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy
• Narrative Therapy
• Person Centered / Rogerian
• Psychodynamic
• Solution Focused Therapy
• Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Concerns & Issues I Help With

• Reproduction
• Abuse: Emotional, Physical, or Sexual
• Trauma
• Addictions & Compulsions
• Life Changes
• Health & Body
• Anxiety, Fear, & Stress
• Emotion Management
• Depression & Mood
• Family Problems
• Relationships & Marriage
• Social Skills & Problems
• Childhood & Adolescence
• Occupational & Academic Issues
• Sexuality
• Identity Issues