My Approach to Helping
Allowing yourself to realize that you're in pain, confusion, or turmoil takes a huge amount of courage. Making the decision to get into therapy, calling and connecting with me, is stating a clear intention: that you are choosing to take charge of your life- rather than letting it continue to spiral into chaos, disappointment, and despair.
As you begin your therapy, it's critical for you to feel safe talking to me, as you explore the truth of your past and present. You must be able to feel emotionally held in your therapy with me; that you are totally safe with me, and every thought and feeling you tell me about is Absolutely Confidential. To completely trust that every word you say to me to me, IS CARVED IN STONE CONFIDENTIAL.
BECAUSE I HONOR YOUR PRIVACY IN EVERY WAY, I DO NOT CREATE A PAPER TRAIL.
I DO NOT KEEP NOTES OR WRITE YOUR LAST NAME.
Because of this issue, I deliberately chose not to take insurance, as it requires the reporting of extremely personal information, as well as permanently labeling you with a "clinical diagnosis" of mental illness. These records are entered into computerized data banks and are far more available than you think. It should seem obvious that therapy can only be productive if you feel free to speak about your deepest feelings and fears without worry about what is being reported to Anyone!
There must be an ironclad sacred trust between us, and that what is revealed to me stays with me. How can you talk to me about what is most deeply personal to you, if there are fears of judgment and negative consequences? I've had several clients who were denied disability and life insurance because they had a formal diagnosis of "depression" on their therapy insurance forms, and stories of being passed over for promotions due to "unfavorable" information in medical files. How employers obtained this private information is a big mystery.
Again, In your therapy with me, you will not have a paper trail of any kind.
I have a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, (a degree that has the most training possible in psychotherapy), and have been practicing for over 30 years. I have worked with depression, anxiety, grief work, self-esteem issues, career issues, mid-life transition, women's issues, men's issues, issues of sexual identity, and issues stemming from childhood experiences. I work with all emotional issues and have worked intensely with trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder for all of my years during training and in my private practice.
I have worked extensively with trauma survivors since 1983, which includes survivors of incest, rape, sexual assault, emotional abuse, physical abuse, torture, cults, survivors of disaster, single trauma incidents, veterans with PTSD, and childhood trauma (which is the most common).
I also work with any relationship issues that you may have, and if you have a partner and want to do Couples Therapy, wanting to save your relationship, I have created my own model of couple's therapy, which has been tremendously successful.
What's important to know is that one style of psychotherapy is not "better" than another. What's important is to have a therapist who has skill and experience in a variety of styles, because what "works" is what feels right for YOU.
I do what I call "integrative psychotherapy" which combines traditional and holistic therapy, taking the very best of all types of therapy: (psychodynamic, behavioral/cognitive, interpersonal/relational, as well as psycho-spiritual for those who are drawn to this arena.
My focus as your therapist is to provide you with: privacy, safety, nurturance, the creation of gentle awakening to your own truth, the ability to travel to the deepest levels you choose to encounter, the tools for transformation using my best clinical skills, my truly deep love for this work, and a commitment to helping you make the changes in your life that YOU choose; that YOU want your life to be.
PLEASE CALL ME rather than e-mail, SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU REALLY NEED, WHAT YOU ARE REALLY WANTING.
Please leave times when I can reach you in person, afternoons or evenings.
Phone sessions: If you prefer to do your therapy by phone, as many people do, that is certainly possible. I often hear how much more relaxed some people feel having private topics discussed in the comfort of their own space, whether closing the door to their office or at home in their "comfortable clothes." With hectic schedules, phone sessions eliminate travel time, aggravating traffic conditions, and bad weather. Given its success, I now do quite a lot of phone therapy and have clients all over the U.S. as well as other countries.
