Practice Specialties

  • Perfectionism is a personality trait characterized by high expectations and standards. Individuals dealing with perfectionism are often highly focused on achieving success while avoiding failure or judgement. As a perfectionist you may often be quick to find fault, be overly critical of your mistakes, and disregard your successes. The fear of failure and overall negative disposition experienced by perfectionists can result in procrastination, intense feelings of depression and anxiety, low self esteem, and a lack of creativity. Therapy can help you overcome perfectionism by helping you challenge and replace unhelpful negative thoughts, be more present in the moment, and learning how to implement compassionate self-talk.

  • Anxiety can feel like a sense of dread or uneasiness. It can cause physically uncomfortable symptoms including restlessness, tension, increased heart rate, etc. When we experience anxiety in response to certain stressors it can be helpful - giving us the energy and motivation that we need to take the necessary actions. Anxiety becomes a disorder when it’s not a temporary experience, it feels overwhelming, and it begins to have a significant negative impact on our day to day life. Individuals with an anxiety disorder often struggle with anxious thoughts or beliefs that are difficult to control and changes in their behavior (for example - avoiding important activities). Therapy can help you recognize and change difficult thoughts and unhelpful behaviors resulting in a greater sense of ease amidst the highs and lows of day to day life.

  • Healthy relationships are mutually beneficial, providing love and support to both parties. In a codependent relationship - one person usually takes on the role of “giver” for the sake of the other. Codependency often coincides with low self-esteem and a strong desire to please others and is often caused by growing up within dysfunctional family dynamics (however, it’s important to remember that anyone can fall into an unhealthy relationship pattern). Therapy can help you if you’re caught in codependency to truly accept yourself, grow your own sense of self-esteem, and learn to identify and express your own needs effectively. These changes will help you approach and resolve conflicts versus avoiding them and ultimately achieve balance and fulfillment in your relationships.

  • If you have low self-esteem, you might feel shy or anxious around other people, think of yourself as incapable or criticize yourself harshly. Some people with low self-esteem know that they judge themselves too harshly, whereas others hold onto their negative beliefs so strongly that they can feel like facts. Low self-esteem may make you more vulnerable to other to other issues including (but not limited to) people pleasing, social anxiety, and fear of being disliked. Experiences that might make you more likely to develop low self-esteem include: punishment, abuse, or neglect; insufficient warmth, affection, praise, love, or encouragement; failure to meet other people’s expectations; and inability to fit in with your peer group. Therapy can help you to identify your negative core beliefs, face your fears with behavioral experiments, and replace self-criticism with self compassion. Individuals with high self-esteem generally experience higher levels of life satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment.

  • Borderline personality disorder is a mental health condition that affects the way you feel about yourself and others, making it hard to function in everyday life. It includes a pattern of unstable, intense relationships, as well as impulsiveness and an unhealthy, unstable way of seeing one’s self. Symptoms include having extreme emotions, acting or doing things without thinking about them first, and ongoing feelings of emptiness. You may have a strong fear of abandonment or being left alone. Despite your desire to have loving and lasting relationships, the fear of being abandoned often leads to mood swings and anger. BPD patterns are often the result of intense distressing life experiences. Therapy can be used to target these intense stressful experiences and reduce their negative impact on current functioning while equipping you with skills to face your emotional challenges with greater confidence and engage in behaviors and goals that are important to you - resulting in a sense of stability and wholeness within yourself and in your relationships.

  • Whether you are a mother through birth, adoption, etc. - becoming a Mom either for the first time or for the tenth time - you’re adjusting to a new reality with each child - which has a tremendous impact on your mind, body, and spirit. The challenges of motherhood are unique and in many cases these challenges can lead to intense symptoms of depression, anxiety, or psychosis. In therapy we’ll work together to help you clarify and understand the unique challenges you are experiencing and use evidence based treatments to help you fully experience the joys of motherhood while moving through the ups and downs of this journey with more ease and confidence.

  • Frequent or intense conflicts in our relationship can leave us feeling stuck and disconnected and can subsequently impact every area of our life. Navigating differences between two people who have joined their lives together is a complex experience and be assured - you are not alone in feeling discouraged. Couples therapy using evidence-based techniques will help you and your partner learn how to replace negative conflict patterns, build a sense of shared meaning and emotional connection, increase intimacy, improve friendship, and repair past hurts.

  • Depression involves frequent feelings of sadness and/or loss of interest and affects your ability to do normal activities. Depression can cause negative thoughts about ourselves or feelings of hopelessness about our circumstances. When experiencing depression you may likely want to withdraw from others, have difficulty getting things done, or stop doing enjoyable activities. Depression can be caused by a combination or a variety of factors including emotionally painful life events, family history, personality, medical conditions, or substance use. Therapy will first help you by creating a space where you will experience empathetic and trustworthy care to explore what is happening in your mind and emotions and ensure that you feel understood. We will help you to identify and work through core conflicts in your life that may be causing your depression while also helping you to change your thought patterns and learn to apply practical life skills which are scientifically proven to elevate your mood.

  • Trauma encompasses a wide range of events which result in emotional distress due to our inability to emotionally digest what has occurred. These occurrences may be a singular event or a series of events. Trauma can make us feel consistently unsafe, feeling regularly on edge to the point of having difficulty relaxing, and cause can an increased intensity in fear, anger, and sadness. In therapy, we will explore these events in a productive way to help you experience feelings of resolution so that these memories no longer feel like they take on a life of their own. We will help you integrate the information of these events into your life in a way that allows you to move forward and see yourself and the world from a more realistic and helpful way. Individuals working toward trauma resolution will reduce the intensity and uncontrollable nature of their emotions and start to feel more balanced, regulated, and able to access and experience more desired emotions such as feelings of calm, curiosity, and enjoyment.

  • Grief is the acute pain that comes with loss. Grief can be extremely painful and confusing and come with a wide range of other emotions including guilt, resentment, and anger. Grief is not limited to the loss of people but can come with any major life change in which we have to adjust to a new reality. In therapy - we will work together to help you safely experience and process the pain of the loss, adjust to the new reality you are facing, reinvest in your life and move forward while maintaining an enduring bond and connection to your loved one.

Treatment Methods

  • A treatment method which combines the power of eye movements and well-established therapies like Gestalt, Psychodynamic Therapy and Guided Imagery to allow voluntary changes in the client’s mind - working directly to reprogram the way in which distressing memories and images are stored in the brain so that they no longer trigger strong physical and emotional reactions. Clients often notice a difference within one session of “ART”.

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychological treatment that has been demonstrated to be effective for a range of problems including depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders, and severe mental illness. Numerous research studies suggest that CBT leads to significant improvement in functioning and quality of life. In many studies, CBT has been demonstrated to be as effective as, or more effective than, other forms of psychological therapy or psychiatric medications. CBT is based on several core principles, including: psychological problems are based, in part, on faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking and on learned patterns of unhelpful behavior. CBT treatment usually involves efforts to change thinking patterns & behavioral patterns. These strategies might include: 1. Learning to recognize one’s distortions in thinking that are creating problems, and then to reevaluate them in light of reality. 2. Gaining a better understanding of the behavior and motivation of others. 3. Using problem-solving skills to cope with difficult situations. 4. Learning to develop a greater sense of confidence in one’s own abilities. 5. Facing one’s fears instead of avoiding them. 6. Using role playing to prepare for potentially problematic interactions with others. 7. Learning to calm one’s mind and relax one’s body.

  • Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a type of talk therapy for people who experience emotions very intensely. The main goal of therapists who use dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is to strike a balance between validation (acceptance) of who you are and your challenges and the benefits of change. Your therapist will help you learn new skills to improve emotion regulation. DBT skills aim to help enhance your capabilities in day-to-day life. The four skills your therapist will teach include: Mindfulness: This is the practice of being fully aware and focused in the present instead of worrying about the past or future. Distress tolerance: This involves understanding and managing your emotions in difficult or stressful situations without responding with harmful behaviors. Interpersonal effectiveness: This means understanding how to ask for what you want and need and setting boundaries while maintaining respect for yourself and others. Emotion regulation: This means understanding, being more aware of and having more control over your emotions.

  • Psychodynamic therapy is primarily used to treat depression other serious psychological disorders, especially in those who have lost meaning in their lives and have difficulty forming or maintaining personal relationships. It is a form of talk therapy that focuses on intrapsychic processes, the unconscious processing of experience, and on problem-solving and outcomes. The theories and techniques that distinguish psychodynamic therapy from other types of therapy include a focus on recognizing, acknowledging, understanding, expressing, and overcoming negative and contradictory feelings and repressed emotions to improve interpersonal experiences and relationships. This includes helping the client understand how repressed emotions from the past affect current decision-making, behavior, and relationships. Psychodynamic therapy also aims to help those who are aware of and understand the origins of their social difficulties but are not able to overcome problems on their own. Clients learn to analyze and resolve their current difficulties and change their behavior in current relationships through deep exploration and analysis of earlier experiences and emotions.

  • Faith-based counseling incorporates spiritual resources, bible teachings and scripture, and faith traditions into therapy while employing established clinical techniques.

  • Gottman Method Couples Therapy works to disarm conflicting verbal communication; increase intimacy, respect, and affection; remove barriers that create a feeling of stagnancy; and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship. This approach includes a thorough assessment of the couple’s relationship and uses research-based interventions based on the “Sound Relationship House Theory”. 

  • Mindfulness is being aware of internal thoughts, feelings, and emotions, as well as external surroundings and situations, without automatic responses such as judgment or stress. Mindfulness therapy is a type of talk therapy that focuses on learning how to be more aware and to reduce automatic responses. Some examples of the health and life benefits of mindfulness therapy include improved focus and memory, empathy and compassion, and increased overall quality of life.

  • Motivational interviewing is a counseling method that helps people resolve ambivalent feelings and insecurities to find the internal motivation they need to change their behavior. It is a practical, empathetic, and short-term process that takes into consideration how difficult it is to make life changes.

  • Somatic therapy is a form of body-centered therapy that looks at the connection of mind and body and uses both psychotherapy and physical therapies for holistic healing. It uses mind-body exercises and other physical techniques to help release the pent-up tension that negatively affects a clients’ physical and emotional wellbeing. If talk therapy has reached its limits for you, somatic therapy is often the missing piece - and is an effective tool and resource for achieving the changes you are looking for. These resources include what can be learned from one’s gestures, posture, facial expressions, eye gaze, and movement.

  • Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) is a therapeutic approach that aims to help those who struggle with shame and self-criticism, often resulting from early experiences of abuse or neglect. CFT teaches clients to cultivate the skills of self-compassion and other-oriented compassion, which are thought to help regulate mood and lead to feelings of safety, self-acceptance, and comfort. The technique is similar to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in that it also instructs clients about the science behind the mind-body connection and how to practice mind and body awareness. Potential clinical issues that can be helped by CFT include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, hoarding disorder, and psychosis, as well as anger issues, poor body image, and relationship challenges

  • Solution-focused therapy, also called solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), is a type of therapy that places more emphasis on discussing solutions than problems. It’s important to discuss the problem to find a solution, but beyond understanding what the problem is and deciding how to address it, solution-focused therapy will not dwell on every detail of the problem you are experiencing. It will root your sessions firmly in the present while working toward a future in which your current problems have less of an impact on your life. SFBT works on the assumption that every individual has at least some level of motivation to address their problem or problems and to find solutions that improve their quality of life. This motivation on the part of the client is an essential piece of the model that drives SFBT. Therapists using this type of therapy to do the following in their sessions with clients: Ask questions rather than “selling” answers; Notice and reinforce evidence of the client’s positive qualities, strengths, resources, and general competence to solve their own problems; Work with what people can do rather than focusing on what they can’t do; Pinpoint the behaviors a client is already engaging in that are helpful and effective and find new ways to facilitate problem-solving through these behaviors; Focus on the details of the solution instead of the problem; Develop action plans that work for the client.

Online Therapy

Finding time to get out of the house for another appointment isn’t always easy. Online therapy allows you to meet from a place where you already feel comfortable, making it easier to fit therapy into your life. Whether you’re at home, in your office, or another private space, telehealth offers a flexible and convenient way to prioritize your mental health.

To get the most out of your session, create an environment where you feel comfortable and free from distractions. You might bring a blanket, a favorite candle or essential oils (if appropriate for your space), a cup of coffee or tea, water, tissues, a snack, or a fidget toy. Wear comfortable clothing and choose a private setting where you feel safe to relax, reflect, and talk openly.

“The idea that the brain can change its own structure and function through thought and activity is, I believe, the most important alteration in our view of the brain since we first sketched out its basic anatomy”

Norman Doidge, The Brain that Changes Itself