Individual Therapy

"Why now?" is a question I often ask at the beginning of therapy. Some people come in the aftermath of a personal or relationship crisis, some seek relief for old pain, others simply feel certain that its time for a change.  Whatever reason you may have to begin therapy, we'll work together to find the heart of the matter and what might help.

Even if you come to therapy alone, you bring your whole world with you.  I'll be interested in learning what your life has been like so far, what you care about, what you want, and what you need.  I'm not overwhelmed by strong feelings, upsetting stories or complex struggles.  My process is insight-oriented and collaborative but I'll tell you what I think.  I'm glad to just listen too.

My work may be well-suited for people experiencing anger, grief, compassion fatigue, trauma reactivity, anxiety, depression, struggles related to leadership and responsibility, patterns of conflict and concerns of purpose and identity.

Adults

What makes for a satisfying life?  Many of my adult clients begin by asking "How to I feel better?" and "What can I do differently?" but we also get to wonder about balance, connection, and aspiration.  We can work to ease old tensions and better understand what is occurring now and what occurred in the past.  We can stay as long as we need in distress, or joy, or hope, or discomfort.  We can look for opportunities when it's time to make change.  

Adolescents

It can be incredibly meaningful to ask "Who am I?" and really try to answer.  Teenage years include so much change, growth, frustration, excitement, certainty and uncertainty.  In therapy, we can ask:  What's important to you?  What bothers you?  What do you love?  What do you want, and who do you want to be?  We can work to express what feels impossible and wonder what it might look like to have a good and satisfying life.

And sometimes we'll just talk about movies or who said what or maybe play a game.

Trauma

The reality of what we've been through can feel unbearable.  In therapy, we can visit the most painful moments and stories to see what relief we can find.

I work to continually evolve my understanding of trauma and methods of treatment.  In addition to talk therapy, I am trained in EMDR, an integrative, research-supported therapy for treating trauma and other concerns that feel unmovable.