Services
Couples Therapy
My work with couples is based on the Gottman Method, which research has shown to have such a high success rate, that it has been dubbed the "gold standard" for couples therapy. Through this approach, I can help you build what the Gottmans call a Sound Relationship House that will nurture the friendship, partnership, and romantic relationship you want with your significant other.
The Gottman Method follows a particular initial process including clinical interviews together as a couple and individually, and incorporates results of a comprehensive questionnaire to assess the various needs and functioning of you as a couple. I combine all of this information to create a tailored treatment plan for your specific relationship goals.
Individual Psychotherapy
I know going to therapy can be a vulnerable process, especially when you are just getting started. Without a high level of trust and safety, it can be difficult to do the deep work where healing happens. So, when I meet a client for the first time, my first goal is to help you feel safe and comfortable sharing whatever you need to talk about. I also seek to truly understand, from your unique perspective, what the pain points are, and identify your strengths and resources. From there we can move into your treatment together with a specific plan of how to reach your goals and leverage your strengths along the way. I feel so privileged to partner with my clients and watch them transform as they discover answers to their questions, realize greater possibilities for themselves and their relationships, and move toward their dreams.
Trauma-Informed Treatment
For my clients who have a trauma background, I incorporate a range of trauma-informed modalities and techniques into your treatment plan when indicated, including EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, and Emotion-Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT).
Somatic Experiencing®
I am nearing completion of my certification in Somatic Experiencing® (SE), which is trauma treatment approach based on research of the human (mammalian) nervous system and how our nervous system negotiates potentially traumatic events. Most of the time, in a traumatic event, the nervous system begins to make decisions for us, which is to say, it operates at a level below conscious thought. The goal is to keep us safe, and, if we are still here, then it worked! However, depending on the nature of the trauma or trauma response, we may be left with a dysregulated nervous system.
When our nervous systems are dysregulated, they have a very hard time finding balance and our capacity to deal with big - or even little - stressors in everyday life diminishes. This effect can show up in our lived experience in various ways, such as : "Man, I just can't ever seem to feel rested; I wake up still tired and drag myself through the day" or "I'm so jumpy; every unexpected sound makes me startle" or "I don't feel like being around people like I used to; I just wish I could go in a cave" or "Ever since that [traumatic thing happened], I just don't feel like myself and I get sick more often (or I've developed a chronic condition)" or "I feel like I'm stuck [or shut down/can't function the way I used to]" and the examples could go on...
Somatic therapy aims to help the entire nervous system become more regulated, coherent, and balanced. From a more regulated state, the body and mind have more access to internal and external resources that promote physical and mental health. From a more regulated state, there is more capacity to handle the kinds of unpredictable events that we will inevitably encounter throughout life. When we are traumatized, we are alive, yes, but we are not able to fully live. SE provides a beautiful roadmap for us to find our way back to our full humanity, to help us get "unstuck" from our trauma, and live as rich and rewarding of a life as possible.