My Approach
My training in psychotherapy with individuals, couples, and families (including relationships between two siblings or a parent and adult child) is rooted in the studies of child development, personality, intergenerational and relational trauma going back to one’s early life, family of origin, and the systemic context in which one has lived. My style emerges from a blend of relational psychoanalytic psychotherapy, psychodynamic engagement, and the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), an advanced training in trauma-informed therapy for complex post-traumatic stress disorder. More simply, my training over the past 25 years and life experience has taught me that one’s early life, including the impact experienced by generations before us, is threaded into our later attachments, our evolving or entrenched self-concept, our relationship styles back then and today. There is no lack of value, or greater need for compassion, in looking at how the past informs the present. Especially if one wants change yet also repeats a familiar cycle.
In therapy, we can slow down and examine the strategies and beliefs about ourselves, understand that these become necessary to emotionally survive, and look at whether these adaptations still serve us today, as adults, as they did back then. Or even yesterday.
Individual & Couples Therapy
For couples (or siblings, friends, or parents and their adult children) seeking support for better communication, therapy offers the structure and facilitation to slow down and explore what might be blocking your inroads to greater connection. Couples come to therapy often when there is an impasse, where one or both are feeling stuck in a cycle of blame and defensiveness so they cannot see a way forward. I find the principles found in the NARM training are especially effective at supporting each person’s sense of agency and accountability while also increasing the capacity for tolerating vulnerability in oneself and within a relationship. This is tough work, but it is worth it. Couples often find great relief in discovering one’s own individuality (as an adult) while still deepening their connection and trust with a partner or loved one, as opposed to the polarity of distrust, insecurity, and eventual “shutting down” of all connection to oneself and with the other.
I help people who want deeply felt change in their lives and who are ready to self-examine within the structure of a therapeutic relationship. This isn’t a rush job; my goal is to move slowly while being participatory, but I don’t take over your process. I won’t simply be a blank wall for you, nor will I tell you what “to do” since I believe the answers are truly inside each of us as individuals. Together, with intention we can explore what may be getting in the way of the changes you want to experience for yourself while allowing you to discover, or rediscover, what your needs and aims are in the present day and whether these aims are entangled with your past or your difficulties related to the present situation you find yourself in. This could be your relationship to a single crisis or a lifetime endeavor to build intimacy and self-esteem.
Appointments
At this time, I work by video telehealth only. Therapy works best when it is consistent, and once a week is the minimum for traction to take hold. I often see people more than once a week if indicated, and such a commitment supports the depth we can achieve. Whether you come to therapy on your own, with your partner, or with a specific family member joining you, my goal is to provide a space in which to meet that supports what you hope to achieve with our time together.
My work with couples is either weekly or biweekly, depending on the aims of treatment. I don’t work on parenting plans or high-conflict divorce, although I do see couples on a case-base who are questioning whether to continue as a couple. Therapy can support the process of coming to this difficult decision if both people are amicable.
Clinical Supervision and Consultation
I offer clinical supervision to associate-level practitioners on their way toward licensure. I do not offer test prep. I also offer consultation to licensed clinicians (LMHC and LICSW) on complex cases, including but not limited to those working in community psychiatric agencies and within the criminal justice field. I have experience working closely with psychiatric providers, defense attorneys, prosecutors, and probation departments to provide clinical mental health evaluations. Additionally, I support clinicians who experience vicarious trauma, workplace violence, high-impact caseloads, or a lack of available supervision in the workplace.