My Approach to Helping

My approach is based on the belief that people have experiences in their lives that drive the way they think, feel, and behave. Sometimes these thoughts, feelings, and behaviors cause problems in their sense of self and their relationships with other people. Early experiences of trauma, neglect, emotional abuse, and unhappy family patterns lead to low self-worth, self-destructive behavior, and unhappy, unsatisfying relationships. Through attentive listening, careful and sensitive questioning, empathy, and reflecting back to people the feelings they may have buried or learned to ignore, I help them to understand why they are struggling and what steps they can take to feel better, lead healthier and more productive lives, and have healthier relationships.

My specialties include treating relationship problems, depression, and other mood disorders, as well as anxiety and issues related to low self-worth/self-esteem. Over the past several years I have built a specialty in treating adult survivors of childhood abuse (physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect) as well as sexual assault survivors. Trauma can impact people in very specific and harmful ways wreaking havoc on their ability to feel good about themselves, trust other people, and maintain healthy relationships. I use various approaches to treating trauma survivors (including EMDR which is a specialized form of therapy) but my interventions are always based on close collaboration with each client about their needs/preferences.

More Info About My Practice

An important part of therapy is considering issues related to the various identities that make up who we are including race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. We are all born into a culture, skin color, ethnicity and orientation and these facets of our personalities impact how we view ourselves and the world around us. In therapy, I make space for dialogue about these multiple identities so that each person feels that they are being truly seen and heard.