Psychotherapy/therapy/talk therapy - they all refer to the same thing.  Therapy is a form of treatment for people with mental health conditions and more generally, for people wanting to simply feel better.  It is a confidential space with a trained professional, meaning that your identity and everything that we talk about will be kept private (with few safety exceptions), allowing you to speak freely and openly.  

• You may have a good idea about what what is wrong, and may even feel comfortable naming it (e.g., depression, anxiety, burn-out) or perhaps you have been formally diagnosed (e.g., major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder) and are seeking treatment to address specific symptoms.

• Or you may not have a diagnosis but you find yourself feeling stuck and you want to get unstuck but have no idea where to start.  

Therapy is also an avenue to gain a better understanding of yourself, improve your relationships, and learn how to live a life that is more consistent with your values.  Oftentimes people seek therapy when faced with life stressors, big transitions, and uncovering things from the past.  Therapy provides support to process these significant events, create meaning, and develop a stronger sense of self.  

You're not expected to have it all figured out before you reach out.  Whatever your circumstances, you don’t have to do this alone.  I want to help you get to the root of your symptoms and discover new ways of living that will make life better than it is today.

• Adults of all ages (age 18+)

• Common presenting problems:

  • Depression, loneliness

  • Anxiety, fear

  • Stress, burn-out

  • Grief & loss

  • Trauma, childhood trauma

  • Relationships problems, codependency

  • Life transitions

  • Coping with chronic medical conditions

  • Caregiver support for patients with chronic medical conditions

  • Low confidence/self-esteem

  • Spiritual identity problems

  • Simply needing someone to talk to when you don't know who else to talk to

Generally speaking, I enjoy working with patients who want to better understand themselves and desire more life and less survival.  I particularly enjoy working with individuals in training in the mental health field or other helping professions struggling with the above issues.  

In technical terms, my theoretical orientation or framework for therapy is psychodynamic, and I integrate other research-based treatment modalities as appropriate with each patient; these primarily include dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).  

Without the psychology jargon, my approach involves addressing underlying core issues by looking at where you come from (your early childhood experiences, relationships, family history, cultural values, societal influences, etc.) to better understand how you arrived at where you are now.  I believe that while your current circumstances may be causing distress and resulting in problematic symptoms (e.g., fear, anxiety, sadness, withdrawal, etc.), they are frequently intertwined with other experiences you've had throughout your life.  We will work together to understand how you experience emotions, how you relate to yourself and other people, and explore why you might find yourself repeating patterns and habits that are not consistent with your values.  

Generally speaking, I believe we do the best we can with what we have until it stops working.  Once we recognize that something needs to change, we need nonjudgmental support and understanding to move toward growth and change.

While I am happy to provide short-term, solution-focused interventions to address immediate symptoms and distress, I particularly enjoy more depth-oriented work.  I want to help you know yourself more deeply, practice compassion with yourself, have meaningful relationships with others, improve your ability to bounce back after being knocked down, and heal from past hurts and trauma.  This depth-oriented approach is motivated by my desire for you to have the most impactful and long-lasting change as a result of our work together.  I am committed to providing culturally-competent, trauma-informed, and ethical care to every patient.

In case  you're wondering...
No, I will not make you lay down on a couch, but yes, I'll probably ask you to tell me about your relationships with your parents.

• Initial consultation

  • You will be able to share what you are looking for and ask any questions you have for me

  • I will be asking you some questions to clarify what you are looking for and determine the best way to proceed forward

  • If we decide to work together, we will discuss the fee structure, and schedule our first official session

• I will send you some paperwork to complete prior to our first session 

• First session (intake)

  • During the first session, I am happy to answer any questions that came up during your paperwork

  • My primary goal for this session is to get to know you and where you come from to direct treatment, not to judge you.  I will be asking more questions than will be typical in other sessions about the following:

    • your current difficulties

    • some background information about you

    • what you are hoping to get out of therapy

    • any previous experiences you have had in therapy

  • We will discuss what to expect moving forward

• After the first session

  • I generally prefer to begin with weekly sessions for 50-55 minutes unless otherwise discussed

  • We will set a day of the week and time of day to meet regularly that we will both set aside for our time together

• Generally in session

  • I tend to be expressive and make use of humor

  • I work collaboratively with my patients to identify goals and evaluate how treatment is going

  • Therapy is YOUR time, and I want to know what you feel is helpful and unhelpful as we get to know each other

Research tells us that the most essential component of therapy is the relationship between the patient and the therapist.  This means that feeling like you're a good "fit" with your therapist is crucial for you to get the most out of therapy.  Fit refers to many things including your level of comfort when interacting with me, our matching availability, fitness of fee structure, whether I provide the type of treatment you need, etc.  Given how diverse the human race is, it is not uncommon for someone to try a couple therapists before they find someone they feel like they "click" with.  

We will begin discussing whether or not we are a good fit during the initial consultation.  This will be a continual discussion for the first few meetings to be sure that I am the best provider for you to work with to work on the goals you have.  

The short answer: it depends.  

There is not one-size-fits-all when it comes to therapy.  How long you can expect to be in therapy depends on your goals, treatment needs, presenting concerns, and preferences for length of treatment.  This is something we will discuss during our first interactions and revisit as we progress together.

For some individuals, brief solution-focused therapy (e.g., 12-15 sessions) may be appropriate to address specific symptoms/issues and diagnoses.  For more complex difficulties or people seeking more lasting change, long-term therapy can be most beneficial.  Sometimes people start therapy for one reason and then discover they want to use it as a tool for more personal growth in other areas of life, thus extending the length of treatment.  

Oftentimes, therapy ends when the individual achieves their goals, feels their work is complete, and/or they feel more equipped to face challenges on their own with other supports.  Some people may choose to remain in therapy longer to continue their journey of self-examination and growth as a form of self-care.

Length of therapy will be an open conversation between us.  We will have continual check-ins to be sure we are on the same page about what your goals are and what we are doing.  As you make gains and see improvement, we will discuss whether to begin tapering sessions to prepare for discontinuing therapy or whether you have other goals you would like to focus on in continued treatment.