Individual Work

First and foremost, providing a safe space for you is one of my primary concerns. I first ask in session, “What makes you feel safe?” and “How do you know when you feel safe?” Early on in our work, we will establish a safe holding space in which our work will take place. We will establish a therapeutic relationship built on a sense of trust and collaboration, as that is what serves most effectively as a vehicle for your healing and transformation. In doing so, I take a non-authoritative stance, one in which client and therapist work together side by side. Your input in determining what works for you is never undermined; in fact it is an important part of the collaborative process.

My non-authoritative and non-judgmental approach has been shaped by my egalitarian belief that fundamentally all humans are equal in their worth. This has always been a very strong belief of mine both in my personal life and in my professional practice. We, including myself, all have our own idiosyncrasies, resiliencies, and vulnerabilities. All your parts are welcome in my therapy room and are encouraged to emerge and be seen. No part of you will be left behind or ignored.

I also believe in an individual’s inherent drive toward self-actualization. The flow of growth can be interrupted as a result of having learned to hold yourself back in order to protect yourself from getting hurt and shamed. I would like to help you restore this natural flow of growth. As a result of working with me, you will feel clear and centered while being relaxed in this state. You will feel a sense of empowerment, which enables you to recognize your strengths, identify your available options, and make optimal decisions in life. You will begin to proactively engage in life from a place of curiosity and courage.

My approach is experiential. The traditional talk-only approach can lead to a disconnect between mind and body, which causes you to get stuck: you understand what is not working, but you are still not able to change. The dialogical-experiential approach I offer involves less talk and more experience, aiming for the “aha!” moments, when things start to click. Through compassionate inquiry and interactive dialogues combined with experiential exercises, I work actively in the here and now, helping you increase “holistic self-awareness” that can lead to actual transformation. Unfinished business from the past is addressed not by reliving it but by working through it as it emerges in the here and now. Similarly in the here and now the future is appreciated for its possibilities and potential without projecting worry and fear onto it.

For more information about my approach, click here.  

Areas of Focus:

  • Anxiety (chronic worries, social anxiety, panic attacks)
  • Depression (lack of energy, hopelessness, sadness, etc.)
  • Life transition (loss, move, change of career, etc.)
  • Self-esteem (lack of confidence, insecurity, inner critic, etc.)
  • Shame-inducing experiences (being bullied, teased, belittled, & discriminated)
  • Traumatic experiences (sexual, emotional, physical abuse)
  • Relationship difficulties (sense of isolation and loneliness, difficulty making friends, break-up, marital discord)
  • Sexuality and gender (intimacy, body image, gender roles, sexual orientation)
  • Fulfillment in life (sense of dullness & emptiness, difficulty finding meaning in life, chronic unhappiness)

 

Couples Work for One

For those of you who are interested in Couples Work, but whose partner is not available or willing to participate, I offer “Couples Work for One.” In this work, we will first identify the unproductive relational patterns that occur between you and your partner and determine what drives the dynamic cycle. We will identify your unmet needs and desires and then refine the core messages you want him/her to receive, and finally learn to express them in a manner that s/he can take in. This work also involves learning to listen to the core messages that your partner is trying to express. The core messages are often hidden behind the protective façade your partner puts up. Learning to listen to your partner in order to understand his or her vulnerabilities can lead to a shift in how you participate in the dynamic cycle.