Contact Me

I work with clients ages 13 and up who are ready to work hard during and outside of sessions. I may make an exception and work with children under 13 if they are a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) and open to therapy. We will be working as a team and I will be here to support you all the way. I will teach you different concepts during therapy sessions and take you through exercises to help you integrate the information to practice in between sessions. I will ask you to be open and curious, but you always have a choice if you feel uncomfortable with an exercise. Therapy isn’t easy and it is often awkward, but it is worth the hard work you put into it. Change means stepping outside of our comfort zone. If you are someone who is willing to learn new concepts and practice them outside of therapy, then we may be a good fit.

In our society, a “symptom” is, by definition, something “pathological” and something we should try to get rid of. This is NOT my approach. Science has been proving for many years that it is ineffective and counterproductive to try to get rid of or control emotions or psychological experiences. Many clients will tell me, “I can’t live with this [insert symptom here]!” Yes, you can. Your efforts to suppress pain, anxiety, depression, sadness, guilt, etc., are causing more distress and the need for more suppression. This is why symptom reduction is a terrible goal.

I aim to help you transform your relationship with your difficult thoughts and feelings so that you no longer perceive them as “symptoms.” If you don’t feel the need to get rid of them, they lose their power over you. In therapy, you will learn to reduce their impact and influence through the effective use of psychological skills.

This type of therapy is learned by doing, so we will meet weekly. Once you have practiced the skills in your daily life and feel confident using them consistently, we will end therapy.

While reducing session frequency over time might seem logical, this will only prolong your process unnecessarily and may lead to a dependency on therapy or your therapist. This is the opposite of what we’re trying to accomplish here. If you’re not feeling confident and empowered enough to end therapy, then we have more work to do, so why not just get the work done?

In addition, my practice is not equipped to provide regular support between our scheduled sessions. Keep this in mind as you determine whether I’m a good fit for your needs.

• Working with me is not like visiting a medical doctor. It’s not just talking about your problems and feelings. It’s a very active form of treatment. It requires your best efforts to change actions which in turn will lead to changes in your relationship with yourself, others, and your life.
• I encourage you to make therapy a part of your life by reflecting on what we’ve discussed, doing the homework, and practicing skills.
• Please communicate your needs. When you give me feedback, I consider it an opportunity to move your therapy and the therapeutic relationship in a more workable direction.
• Therapy won’t be easy. Even though we start therapy seeking change, change is often far more difficult than we anticipated. Be patient, have faith in the process, trust that challenges are a sign of change.