Therapy, I believe, is a collaborative process through which I work with my clients to support their progress towards well-being. I strive to create an emotionally safe and accepting environment, as this is essential for the work to begin.
In therapy, we work toward ameliorating distress, deeper self-understanding, navigating complicated life choices, coping with stressful situations, addressing problematic relational dynamics, and adjusting to life transitions. Sometimes the focus of our work is symptom reduction, as we work on developing skills to monitor and treat symptoms, cope with distress, regulate emotions, and communicate effectively in interpersonal relationships. Other times, the focus shifts to unearthing the root causes of the present-day issues, as we explore my clients’ inner and outer worlds in an honest, non-judgmental manner to increase insight, understanding, and acceptance regarding their own needs, intentions, wishes, dreams, losses, and values.
In more technical terms, my approach to psychotherapy is integrative as I apply cognitive-behavioral (CBT), dialectical-behavioral therapy (DBT), relational-cultural, and psychodynamic perspectives in therapy. Always maintaining awareness of relational patterns, sociocultural context, and our multiple, intersecting identities and roles.
As we join to work toward a more authentic, mindful engagement with clients’ lives, I listen for their voice, and seek to empower them to take ownership of the direction of their lives through healthier choices that are aligned with their personal values. As a therapist, I often have the honor of being entrusted to support my clients’ through their deepest struggles, I am respectful of the brave risks they take in bringing me into their lives, and clients experience me as compassionate, warm, genuine, direct and effective.