Specialties
Although I am competent in successfully treating a variety of issues in my practice, I also have specialty areas that I would like to highlight. These include treatment for depression, anxiety, co-dependency, and anger management.
In addition here is some information on how I work and the theories I use to guide my treatment:
My Approach
My approach in individual and couples therapy is warm, compassionate, collaborative, interactive, and solution focused. I am professional and respectful, yet down to earth and genuine, with a sense of humor when appropriate.
I create a safe atmosphere without judgment, in which you are valued and respected.
I have considerable training and experience in understanding cultural issues of race, class, gender, sexuality and power differentials and how these issues can influence people's lives.
My work involves being attentive, engaged, and skilled in asking constructive questions. I am honest about pointing out the role you may be playing in creating and/or maintaining difficulties in your life. This is intended to move you closer to inner growth. Although this is often hard for people to hear, clients are extremely grateful to have the increased insight into personal dynamics they may have never realized before.
I hold the belief that every person is capable of positive change and has the ability to move through emotional pain. I can help you develop a deeper understanding of yourself and learn new coping strategies to deal with painful, difficult or confusing issues.
Practice Theories
One of the theories I use is psychodynamic psychotherapy, which is exploring your childhood experiences to gain insight and understanding into the person you are today.
As I learn about you, I can help you make connections from your past to present feelings and behaviors and begin to heal painful issues.
However, this is not always appropriate for all people and problem areas, therefore in some instances we will focus specifically on here and now experiences. For this type of work, one of the theories I use is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is based on the idea that your thoughts and underlying beliefs about yourself significantly influence how you feel and ultimately lead you to act or behave in certain ways.
Here is a simplified example of CBT: Let's say you are faced with a situation that didn't go well and in response to how you handled the situation you have a negative thought of "I'm worthless, I can't do anything right." This thought will likely make you feel a variety of upsetting feelings possibly including sadness, anger, anxiety, disappointment, etc. Due to feeling badly, you may do something self-defeating like drinking/drugs, withdrawal, excessive eating, engaging in conflict, etc.
As I begin to know you, I will be able to point out destructive thoughts, while teaching you how to stop this negative cycle through a variety of alternative techniques. Soon you will begin to be more aware of your thoughts and behavior patterns and make changes on your own. Cognitive-behavioral therapy has been thoroughly researched and has been clinically proven to be very effective in helping people manage depression, anxiety, grief and traumatic experiences.