My Approach to Helping
Everyone has different needs, and as such I tune in to try and sense what clients need throughout the session. My goal is to make you feel comfortable enough to raise any issue at all, whether it be about current or past experiences, or how you are experiencing the therapy session. I use an interpersonal approach and while I am listening closely I am also open, responsive and present and will be sharing my thoughts, questions, and ideas about what is going on in your life and what I think might be most helpful to you.
I use a direct and interactive approach which I believe helps people to engage more fully in the therapy process. Together we will clarify problems, gain more insight into how external situations are affecting your mental health, apply strategies to minimize negative behavior patterns, and cope more effectively with difficult emotions such as sadness, anger or pain. Although I am solution focused and results oriented, I also encourage self-reflection so that problems are less likely to recur in the future. At times, this may require confronting past experiences that are surfacing in the present in the form of depression, anxiety, anger, problems with intimacy, or unwanted thoughts or behaviors.
In addition to working closely with clients to manage symptoms of depression and anxiety, I help people use psychotherapy to work through difficulties or obstacles they may be facing at different points in their lives, whether this be finding the right career path, resolving on-going conflicts in relationships, coping with stress or painful experiences such as loss or trauma, or struggling with addiction or other self-destructive behaviors. I also specialize in treating eating disorders and distorted body image, as well as problems in work, partner, peer, and family relationships.