My Approach to Helping

My focus in individual therapy is on helping people recognize how their past contributes to the challenges and conflicts they face and how their present offers them opportunities to feel, think and act in new, self-affirming ways. One central goal is to build on areas of strength and competence and to develop resources to counter negative patterns of living.

I am a Certified Gottman Therapist. In working with couples, I provide specific assignments for strengthening the positive aspects of the relationship and give couples tools to negotiate their differences more effectively. We explore how patterns learned in childhood are replicated in the marriage/relationship and develop strategies to alter maladaptive patterns. Learning to self-soothe in the face of conflict is a key strategy.

In 2012 I published my first self-help book for couples: Steering Your Marriage.

More Info About My Practice

Fee for service only. Sliding scale fee available. To learn more, please call me. Evening hours available.

Specific Issue(s) I'm Skilled at Helping With

I specialize in working with couples with long-standing issues as well as acute stressors such as the loss of a child, unemployment, relocation. My specialized couples training has given me specific skills that enhance my work with couples.

My Blog Posts

• Hard Times: Protecting Your Marriage During a Financial Downturn [Part 3 of a series]
• Steering Clear of the Marital Money Pit
• Part I: Relationship Money Matters
• Sex and the Ailing Marriage: Choosing Counseling over Resignation