My Approach to Helping

My work with you stems first of all from the compassion and wisdom I've achieved through many decades of addressing my own precious life and challenges. In one way or another I've personally gone through everything I mention here as a potential focus of our work together. I work with individual adults and groups dealing with various life transitions and challenges such as the pain of death and other losses, residual effects of trauma, aging, relationship changes and challenges, career or job change, geographic move, or a desire for change and personal growth in response to some emptiness or restlessness.

A supportive and collaborative relationship between you and me sets the tone for our work together, and is of utmost importance for addressing any issues. Within you is a deep well of resource and wisdom that can help you, whatever your challenge, toward healing, insight, and growth. As a therapist, I help you identify and use your inner resources and also provide insight and tools to help you address your issues and move forward. I am an integrative and holistic counselor, which means that I draw from various perspectives and schools of counseling thought for wisdom and tools to help clients, while being sensitive to the whole person – body, mind, emotions, and spirit - as we work together.

Current research clearly shows that many clients want to include their faith or spirituality in therapy, and that this can be very beneficial for positive outcomes. I am also an ordained interspiritual minister and spiritual director and have been on a spiritual journey for decades. I respect that there are many paths to approach one’s sense of a Higher Power or ultimate reality. If you desire, I can support you to integrate your sense of spirituality into the counseling process.