Services
I specialize in individual and couples therapy for adolescents and adults. I frequently work with people who are experiencing anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, trauma, chronic pain or illness, and identity and life transitions.
My clinical practice is guided by the belief that each individual’s history of relationships profoundly influences their current relational patterns, and that through uncovering and working through the legacy of these past relationships, healing and self-understanding can be found. Importantly, I conceptualize present difficulties as patterns that were once adaptive and helpful given our experiences. I view people as desiring authentic connection, and that often, patterns that were once helpful in the past keep us disconnected from ourselves and each other in the present. Research suggests that the ways in which we approach ourselves and others can be revised in light of new emotional and relational experiences. By focusing on the collaborative therapeutic relationship built between us, I strive to create a safe environment in which to practice and internalize new ways of relating to yourself and others. I strongly believe that our current behaviors and emotions make sense and serve a function, and by linking the past to the present, I work with each person to identify these functions, ultimately creating alternative modes of meeting these needs.
My academic research focused on the combined effects of genetic predispositions and early experiences on the development of adult personality. My work demonstrated that each individual’s reaction to their environment often depends on their specific traits. As a psychologist, this research offers an especially informative lesson: the chances of successful therapeutic outcomes are greatly increased by working collaboratively with each client to create individualized and tailored interventions. My research emphasized that “one-size fits all” likely does not exist. Rather, individual traits dictate the environment in which we are most likely to succeed. This understanding influences my therapeutic choices, allowing us to create the best match for your success.
The importance of remaining flexible and tailoring my approach to that which would best serve you guides my integration of several cognitive-behavioral (CBT), mindfulness-based, existential, relational, and insight-oriented approaches. Broadly, I incorporate these techniques to increase mindful awareness, contact with the present moment, and acceptance. Mindful attention and labeling of thoughts and feelings facilitates recognition that the self is the context in which cognitions, emotions, and sensations occur, rather than synonymous with those experiences (e.g., “I am a failure” vs. “I am having the thought that I am a failure”). I have found that we can facilitate self- compassion and awareness of patterns by exploring the reactions to emotions and thoughts (e.g., thoughts/emotions are harmful, factual, and all-encompassing). In addition, by focusing on the “here-and-now” relationship between us, an environment is created in which we can directly and deeply encounter challenging beliefs and emotions, while learning the skills to tolerate distress and effectively regulate emotional responses.
While I work to understand what makes each client unique, I am also drawn to the common struggles that bind the human experience—the search for meaning, the search for social justice, the search for belonging. In this way, I resonate with psychiatrist Irvin Yalom MD, who writes that, ultimately, a clinical encounter is a meeting of “fellow travelers” working together in navigating an uncertain world. I approach clients knowing that we both have important information, which, when used together, can create beneficial change. While I can offer certain expertise and skills, you are the expert of your own life. Together, we can work to help you live a more authentic, fulfilling life.
Frieda Fromm-Reichmann once said, "The patient needs an experience, not an explanation;" it is precisely this experience that I hope to share with you.