Individual Therapy
I believe that no matter the style of therapy offered, a safe, strong and deeply connected relationship is required for personal growth. My aim is not to see you as a collection of symptoms or a list of problems, but as a uniquely whole human seeking to find change in some area of your life.
You are the expert of your life and I expect you to bring that expertise into our relationship along with a willingness to be open, vulnerable and brave. I will bring a toolbox of methods and strategies that clients and I have found to be effective at addressing trauma, stress, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, attachment issues, shame and anger.
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We all have multiple parts to our personality. Don’t worry, that’s a good thing. Think of all the times you’ve had an internal dialogue of competing parts:
“There’s a part of me that wants to walk in my boss’ office and quit right now, but there’s a part that knows that’s not the best idea.”
“Part of me really wants another drink right now, yet I know that I’ll wake up feeling so much shame tomorrow if I do."
“I am so tired of being alone, but the idea of being vulnerable and seeking connection terrifies me”
Internal Family Systems therapy helps clients gain a deep understanding of all of their parts, learn to welcome them without judgement, and seek healing from the deeply held pain that keeps these parts in conflict with one another.
Perhaps the most well known member of the “internal family” is the inner child. Whether we identify it as trauma or not, most all of us have a wounded little kid somewhere deep within, surrounded by the layers of self protection we’ve learned over the years to keep that little one safe. IFS can help in healing those wounds and unlearning those defensive patterns of being.
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Mindfulness and Somatic Experiencing are two body-based approaches that help individuals fully attend to whatever is happening from moment to moment. When our minds take flight and we lose touch with our body, we very quickly get pulled into patterns of anxiety and obsessive thought. Mindfulness helps us become more aware of our environments and ourselves and allows us to become more fully present in our lives and relationships. In conjunction with mindfulness practices, Somatic Experiencing helps to establish a natural flow between mind and body and address the physiology of stress and trauma.
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When a trauma occurs in our life, we often don’t have the time, resources, or support to fully understand and process the experience. This can cause traumatic memories, emotions and bodily sensations to become “stuck” in our mind and body. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can be a really useful tool for accessing and processing our traumas so that they don’t impact us so strongly and so negatively.
“In my early professional years I was asking the question: How can I treat, or cure, or change this person? Now I would phrase the question in this way: How can I provide a relationship which this person may use for their own personal growth?”
“There is a child inside you who’s trying to raise a child in me.”