My Approach
As a therapist, I meet people where they are. I collaborate with them to create a treatment that is flexible and responsive to their needs and experience, and help guide them toward their stated goals. While my approach to each person is individual, my work is informed by:
An awareness of and sensitivity to power, prejudice and oppression with regard to sexuality, race, class, gender, and body size, including the myriad ways these dynamics operate in ourselves, our relationships and society at large. Social justice thinking is an integral part of the way I frame the context of my clients' experiences.
A perspective that we are relational beings that function at our best when we have authentic, fulfilling connections to ourselves, others and our world. The therapeutic relationship is an opportunity to harness the power of connection for healing and growth.
The practice of cultivating mindful awareness towards the present moment, which creates space for acceptance and clarity, and attunes us to our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual experience.
The knowledge that therapy is a courageous endeavor, requiring commitment, compassion and collaboration from both client and therapist.
my work is also informed by the following theoretical approaches:
Internal Family Systems Therapy offers a clear, non-pathologizing and empowering method of understanding our experience. It allows us to access our higher or deeper self, so that the process of growth happens according to an inner wisdom characterized by calmness, clarity, and compassion.
Psychodynamic Therapy considers how early experiences inform our present feelings about ourselves and our relationships. This involves accessing and making meaning of our unconscious experience, those parts of ourselves that are outside of awareness.
Mindfulness-Based Approaches help us become aware of and connect with our body sensations, emotions and overall inner experience. With focused, non-judgmental awareness of our moment to moment experience, we allow ourselves to slow down and notice more clearly what is happening. Mindfulness can include relaxation techniques, meditation, visualization and breathing exercises.
Attachment Theory considers the quality of our early relationships with primary caregivers, as these can influence ongoing relationship patterns, particularly with respect to trust and intimacy. Because the therapeutic relationship activates our attachment system, therapy is an opportunity to harness the power of relationship for healing and growth.