Services
Anxiety
Anxiety is our body's natural and normal response to things we see as potentially threatening. However, for some, anxiety can build up over time and become overwhelming and even debilitating. My work with clients suffering from anxiety starts with teaching them calming skills to manage physical anxiety symptoms to give them immediate relief. I then educate them about the function of anxiety and we work together to uncover how this affects their daily lives and experiences. We then move into identifying unhealthy patterns they have learned to cope with life's challenges, and begin replacing them with healthy, more adaptive beliefs and coping skills that allow them to feel more secure and calm.
Depression
Depression is an overwhelming sense of sadness that a person is unable to get out from under, no matter how strong their desire to do so. Depression can rob a person of their joy, and in severe cases it can make it difficult to hold a job, maintain relationships, or even do routine daily activities. Depression treatment with me begins with improving the basic foundations of overall well-being: sleep, nutrition, exercise, social engagement, and self-care, to help folks experience change right away. I then educate them about depression and help them work toward accepting and experiencing uncomfortable feelings in healthier ways. In the next phase I work gently with individuals to uncover underlying shame, guilt, and negative beliefs about themselves. During this final phase I also teach clients self compassion skills to help heal old pain, and allow them to shift unhealthy thinking patterns to healthier, more adaptive thoughts and actions.
Relationships
The relationships we have with other people, be they family, friends, or romantic partners, are some of the most valuable things life has to offer. However, sometimes relationships don't work out the way we expect leading to painful experiences. For struggling couples, I use an Emotionally Focused approach to help create a safe and trusting space to heal relationship wounds, and help couples reconnect on a deep and meaningful level with one another. With individuals, I work one on one to build a safe space in which individuals can explore what may be interfering with their ability to have healthy relationships. Through this process we identify areas of focus to enhance healthy relationship skills so the individual can create and maintain healthy, trusting relationships going forward.
Self-compassion
Self compassion is empathy and concern for ourselves, and the acknowledgement of our own suffering, even when we make a mistake or experience a personal failing. To help client's build compassion for themselves, I start by teaching them the purpose of shame and guilt, and how their life experiences molded those feelings within them. We then move into the practice of self compassion through various exercises, and apply those skills directly as we explore painful core beliefs and their resulting unhelpful and unhealthy actions such as shame, anger, substance abuse, or self harm. Lastly, I guide clients toward identifying and developing healthier, more adaptive ways of coping with the challenges of life. Contact me today if you think self compassion treatment could help you live a more meaningful and contented life!
Trauma/PTSD
Trauma, specifically psychological trauma, is an emotional response to an event that endangers a person's safety, the safety of their loved ones, or the safety of others, that a person is unable to cope with in a healthy way. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a diagnosis given to individuals that have experienced trauma, whether in the past or present, and still struggle with the emotions, memories, or thoughts associated with that experience. My work with trauma clients focuses on creating a safe and trusting space where individuals can openly express their pain without fear of being retraumatized or judged. I teach clients calming and coping skills, and help them understand how trauma impacts the mind and the body, and how it has impacted them specifically. With those tools I work collaboratively with clients to help them move from victim to survivor as individuals learn how to rewrite their story in a compassionate way and establish healthier beliefs about themselves and their painful past experiences.
Other Areas Treated
Anger Management
Life Transitions
Abuse
Social Anxiety
Coping Skills
Stress
Emotional Disturbance
Support for Caretakers
Grief
Wome'ns Issues