My Approach to Helping

Welcome to FamilyWorks Counseling! The therapeutic relationship is paramount to the process of working through social-emotional, cognitive or behavioral issues, and I do my best to build a bridge with every client. I provide counseling, testing, and consultation services to Fairfield County residents (children, teens, young adults, and adults). When working with children, I address both developmental and atypical concerns. I assist with social-emotional, cognitive, learning, and behavioral issues, tailoring the therapy to the child or teen's specific needs. With all populations, I offer concrete, practical strategies for individuals to cope better and reduce stress in order to optimize their success at home, school andor work. I use a number of clinical techniques to help individuals manage struggles including, but not limited to: DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy), CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), mindfulness, positive psychology, family systems, play therapy, artwriting therapy, and relaxation techniques. I hope to speak with you soon so we can get started!

More Info About My Practice

My practice's hours are typically M-F from 12 - 7 PM, but I will see clients occasionally on a weekend as needed for emergencies or during an unusual week when it is difficult to schedule on a weekday. I am attuned to working with kids, teens, and college students. I am child-centered, have worked with this population for 25 years and understand developmental milestones. As a result, I am often able to identify when testing may be necessary to rule out any cognitive, social-emotional, or behavioral challenges that might be atypical. It is my belief that all kids have strengths that can be mobilized to offset challenges they face. It is my job to teach them how to adaptively cope or compensate for their challenges drawing from their current subset of skills, abilities, and talents.

My Role as a Therapist

I see myself as a supporter, an educator, and a guide--illuminating psychodynamics and offering practical, new ways for clients to view their situation, so they can be in a position to select adaptive options for coping and learn to better help themselves. Over 25 years of practice, I have seen and heard it all--nothing surprises me. My favorite part of being a psychotherapist is that I love getting to know each individual on a very real level and helping to bolster one's strengths so clients can learn to work through their current challenges.

Important Factors for Choosing a Therapist

It is really helpful to meet in person to gauge if the therapist before you is one that you can collaborate with and have a large degree of honesty around important issues. Once you meet, it usually become imminently apparent if the therapist's philosophy and clinical practices jibe with your needs, philosophy, values, and communication style. Once you find a good fit, you should have a solid comfort level to proceed with establishing treatment goals for the clinical work.