Areas of Focus

The majority of people have faced at least one traumatic event in their lives. What qualifies as a traumatic event varies greatly but often includes witnessing or experiencing abuse, violence, a tragic accident such as a car accident, natural disaster, and so on. With time, many people naturally recover from these traumatic events. However, some traumatic events are so overwhelming and outside our normal life experiences that our brains have difficulty processing through them and get "stuck" in the trauma. Some people develop Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result, and even those who don't meet criteria for PTSD can still feel limited by the traumatic experience. For individuals who go through repeated trauma, especially during early life, they can be impacted by Complex Trauma, or what's known as Complex PTSD. Therapy is the most effective intervention for addressing psychological trauma. I use a variety of techniques to help people heal from the effects of the trauma and establish a perspective on the world that is no longer defined by the trauma. I help people recognize their own resilience and learn to trust themselves and others again.

While dissociative disorders, such as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), are not as well known as other types of mental health conditions, they are prevalent and can significantly impact someone's quality of life. Common concerns of those with dissociative disorders include feeling disconnected from themselves, feeling out of control of their words or actions, feeling like they aren't real or the world around them isn't real, hearing inner voices, and having amnesia. I treat dissociative disorders, including those below threshold for DID. I work together with clients to make sure therapy feels safe and is at a pace that feels comfortable to them. I help people feel more connected with themselves and others and feel more present. I help people make sense of their internal experiences and see that they aren't "losing their minds." I receiving ongoing training from the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) and follow the ISSTD's Guidelines for treating DID with my clients. 

Anxiety can present in a variety of ways, such as racing thoughts, panic, trouble sleeping, tension, difficulty relaxing, social anxiety, and more. We can use a variety of techniques in therapy to help you feel more calm, centered, and competent to manage anxiety.

Any type of depression can feel limiting. Depression can present as lack of motivation, feeling numb, feeling sad, lack of energy, isolation, self-hate, agitation, suicidal thoughts or actions, and more. I use a variety of skills and techniques to help people work through the causes and effects of depression and to empower them to reengage in life.

Grief can show up in a variety of situations such as deaths (of course) and losses of any kind (e.g., loss of job, loss of identity, loss of relationship, loss of pet, or loss of life role). Therapy can provide a place to openly process these losses with someone outside of your normal circle of support, so you don't have to fear upsetting those around you when you share how you feel. If you feel stuck on a particular spot in grief or loss, we can explore this together and help you work through your feelings.

Healthy relationships are key components to living fulfilling lives, but we aren't born knowing how to navigate the complexities that can arise in relationships. In therapy we can work on building relationship skills, such as healthy conflict resolution and communication skills, which can help you feel more connected and secure in relationships that are important to you.

The time during pregnancy and after giving birth brings about a number of changes and challenges that can be overwhelming for anyone. Asking for help and caring for yourself during this time is not selfish or weak. Getting counseling can be extremely beneficial in working through sometimes conflicting emotions and self-doubts that affect many people in these periods of life.

Everyone has insecurities and self-doubts, but if these take over your identity, life becomes limited. We can work on improving your relationship with yourself, having compassion with and understanding of yourself, building a balanced perspective of your strengths and shortcomings, and learning to be okay with who you are, rather than having to hide yourself out of shame.

We all know that life isn't easy, but sometimes changes or challenges hit us harder than we would expect, are difficult to adjust to, and can cause us to feel stuck or overwhelmed. Therapy can provide a safe place to express and sort through feelings that arise during a variety of life challenging (including the recent COVID-19 pandemic and resulting difficulties).

Anger is an emotion that can be productive as well as destructive. In therapy, we can help you understand what triggers anger, what emotions may be underlying your anger, ways of using anger constructively, and skills for managing anger so that you can stay in control and protect your relationships.