My Approach to Helping

Sometimes life is painful. Sometimes it's just uncomfortably complicated. The discomfort may be a relationship, a loss, intrusive memories, alcohol or chemicals, or all of those at once. My approach to therapy is to find the common threads running through the complication and the pain and help you gently untangle them so that what you feel is less confusing. Reducing confusion reduces discomfort.

A therapeutic conversation goes beyond someone who just listens carefully. It's deeper than that. In a therapeutic conversation, I want to help you feel safe exploring places down inside yourself, places that may be familiar but that you avoid, or places that you may have forgotten about.

How does it work? When we meet, we start with where you are in the present. Access to the deep work always starts in the present. I'll be your guide, but it's always your process. When our therapeutic conversation goes well, and it often does, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised at what you are able to explore and benefit from.

When we connect, you can feel safe to explore places. But connecting with a therapist is a very personal choice. Some chemistry is important. There's no charge to come in for a chat to see if I'm someone you feel comfortable with. Give me a call.

More Info About My Practice

I work with people in a wide range of life situations and ages. I bring a lot of life experience to the conversation, and I am always learning more. I love that about what I do with people. I welcome veterans with Tricare coverage.

You may want to look at historical experiences or current ones, relationship difficulties or work issues. We might work with your patterns of thinking. We might work with your emotional experiences. If it's appropriate, we might use emotionally supporting hypnotherapy.

My standard fee is $120 per 50-minute session for individuals, $130 for couples. Depending on your financial circumstances, we may be able to negotiate that. I do not take insurance directly, but I can give you a billing statement that you can file for out-of-network benefits. You’ll need to call your insurance company to find out about mental health out-of-network co-pays and deductibles. I normally charge full fee for appointments missed with less than 24 hours notice.

What I Usually Need to Know to Help

Useful access to deep emotional material always starts on the surface. What's going on in your life right now? What parts do you like? What parts are uncomfortable? Where would you like to be going? The pattern of current life can point to hidden threads waiting to be untangled. We can explore history if that seems useful. As we work, the path to what's important will reveal itself. For safety, it makes sense for me to know about any complications in your health situation.

On the Fence About Going to Therapy?

In the end, deciding to do therapy is not an analytical decision. What you are looking for is some sense that some part of you wants to be recognized, a sense that it is now time to remember something you may have forgotten. Therapy is work. Sometimes it's uncomfortable. If you genuinely have no interest in knowing more about who you really are, there's no reason to bother. But if you're curious, the exploration can be useful and worth the effort.

Had a Negative Therapy Experience?

If you've had a negative experience in therapy, I'm sorry about that. Even if I wasn't there, I feel somehow responsible on behalf of my profession. It's like having a negative experience with water. It can make you less interested in learning to swim. To make it easier to get back in the pool, I like to offer an introductory no-fee chat to people who are considering working with me.