My Approach to Helping
We generally begin psychotherapy in order to reduce suffering in our lives. As a Jungian analyst, my approach seeks to reduce suffering and promote healing by endeavoring to understand what the meaning of our symptoms are and how, through our symptoms and difficulties, we can be led to experience more satisfaction, creativity and joy in our lives.
This approach not only asks "how can I meet life's demands?" but "how can I live a life that fully expresses who I am?" It asks, "Who am I at the deepest level?" As we work towards exploring these questions, both intellectually and experientially, we often find that the problems that we face in life, frequently seemingly insurmountable, end up no longer being relevant as our attitudes, understanding and perspectives change. We find that we live life with a renewed sense of purpose, energy and resiliency.
More Info About My Practice
I work with people of all sorts of backgrounds, individuals and couples, who come to me for a variety of reasons. I believe that it is important to see each person as unique, with a life path specific to him or her that is waiting to unfold. While many challenges that we face in life such as anxiety, depression, shame, career and vocational concerns, aging, grief, relationship difficulties and many others are universal, the form and meaning of these challenges are unique to each person.
Although I work with many different types of people, much of my work is with those identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and queerquestioning with issues that are commonly faced, such as shameinternalized homophobia, coming out, transitioning, gender experience and expression, aging, HIV and AIDS, sexual compulsivity, substance use and abuse and relationship and dating.
I have a lot of experience working with people who are addicted, in recovery and with those for whom spirituality, both eastern and western, is an integral part of life.
As a Jungian, dream-work can be an important part of the process (it is not an impediment to the therapy if you do not recall your dreams.
Specific Issue(s) I'm Skilled at Helping With
LGBTQ issues
People in recoveryaddiction
spirituality - east and west
career & relationship issues