Services

Services

I understand that no two people are the same nor do they experience or perceive things in the same way. I strive to tailor my therapy to meet the specific needs of my clients.

Individual:

Individual therapy is one on one time to explore your feelings, thoughts, early life experiences, and any other personal difficulties you may be currently facing. Individual therapy is a unique process that can support you in the areas of your life where you feel stuck and increase your understanding of the way you engage with the world and even yourself. A sense of deeper self-knowledge promotes awareness and healing.

Family:

Families are supposed to be the first major source of support and love. However, hen misunderstanding, and disagreements go unaddressed, frustration and tension tends to build and pushes families apart. Family Therapy is a unique space for family members to meet together with an unbiased professional to g through issues that seem to be creating stress, tension and distance.

Family therapy focuses on the family as a system that impacts each of the members. Issues are address and viewed as the family’s issue rather than an individual’s issue. During family therapy I will facilitate the process by helping each member communicate their thoughts and feelings in a healthy and respectful manner. Over time, you will begin to develop understanding, respect, and empathy for yourself and your family members. We will work to learn and identify communication patterns that are no longer serving your family. My belief is that through this process of adopting awareness, healthier communication skills, and empathy you will render the results of decreased family stress, tension and increased communication. It is important to remember that we live within our family and its dynamics. This makes it more difficult to change if the dynamics in the family do not change as well.

Walk &
Talk:

Take therapy on the on go, virtually or in person! Walk and talk therapy is one of my favorite ways to engage you in the therapeutic experience! It is a mindfulness based, body-oriented therapy that infuses the benefits of fresh air, breath and movement in the physical world with talk to promote healing wisdom, deep memory and resilience. Walk and talk therapy is not an exercise-based program, as the focus is not on burning calories or losing weight. Talking outside of the therapy room allows space to relax, slow down thoughts, release physical tension, breathe and receive mind/body insight while processing experiences in a new environment and way.

There is a direct link between mental and physical health. The potential benefits of spending time in nature and or being physically active include but are not limited to improved moods, creative thinking, greater sense of overall well-being and connection. Meeting outdoors can be incorporated for you to meet your specific treatment goals.

Trauma:

Trauma is ANY experience that overwhelms your ability to cope.
Sexual and physical abuse, natural disasters, systemic racism, death of a loved one/pet are all examples of trauma, but they are not exclusive of everyone’s experience with trauma.

The deciding factor of whether an experience is traumatic or not, is whether it overwhelms YOUR ability to cope with it. It does not matter who may disagree or experience the event differently than you. Your mind and body determine if you have experienced trauma. This can be hard to believe if your traumatic experience has been downplayed; you have been made to believe that you should be thankful, because others have experienced worse that you. Though this may be true, wishful thinking alone cannot heal trauma.

An adverse childhood experience (ACE) is a traumatic experience in a person's life occurring before the age of 18 that the person remembers as an adult. Believe it or not ACE’s are fairly common. Most people have experienced something traumatic at one point or another in their lives. The more adverse childhood experiences, the higher increase in risk for physical and mental health issues. People who do not work through trauma often live their lives as if they are reexperiencing the trauma. Many people with unresolved trauma often present with intense mood swings, lack of attention to physical bodily symptoms, attempts to push through or sweep things under the rug increased hypervigilant state and experience extreme emotional responses to minimal threatening situations in an attempt to protect themselves from the perceived danger.

If the above sounds like you, just remember that unfavorable things are going to happen, but you don’t have to stay stuck in what happened. We can work towards thinking, reacting and interpreting things differently in order to live a healthy and peaceful life.

***Adverse childhood experiences are a public mental/health crisis in the united states. ACE’s are preventable. Feel free to click the TED Talk below to hear Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris, the first ever Surgeon General of California speak on the importance of preventing and treating early childhood trauma. National Public Radio (NPR) has an online quiz calculate your ACE score to help you calculate your adverse childhood experiences or (ACE). The site also offers you the opportunity to read and learn more about the factors that make people more resilient to trauma!

EMDR:


EMDR provides a way for people to free themselves from destructive memories, and it seems to work, even in cases where years of conventional therapy have failed.
— ABC News 20/20

Eye-Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) is a remarkably effective therapy approach used to overcome the emotionally painful effects of trauma and a wide range of other emotional conditions. It has been shown to be twice as effective in HALF the amount of time of standard traditional psychotherapy treatments alone. EMDR is an integrative treatment that includes traditional talk therapy, relaxation exercises, and bilateral stimulation following an eight-phase model.

EMDR is not only shown to useful in the treatment of trauma but with other issues such as anxiety, complex PTSD, grief, OCD, specific phobias, etc. The use of EMDR can be intergraded in treatment any time there is a disconnect between what we know to be true intellectually and what we feel to be true emotionally. Contact me today if you have experienced trauma and you are interested in EMDR or you have any questions about if you would be a good candidate for EMDR!

Anxiety &
CCCAPT:

Anxiety is a feeling of consistent worry, nervousness, or unease. It can be a lingering feeling, felt most of the time. Often times people feel anxious about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. The truth is that we all feel anxiety sometimes. Why? Generally, it’s because we feel a lack of control over a situation. Or, possibly, a traumatic event from our past is still affecting us. Big decisions, major life changes, and having to present self in new or unexpected ways can also cause anxiety.

The good news is anxiety is one of the most researched mental health issues. There has been more research conducted on the causes and treatments of anxiety based disorders than any other disorder. Anxiety it is very manageable!

Recognized as a certified clinical anxiety treatment professional, I help individuals work through anxiety using a neuroscience-based approach. Meaning I understand the neurological process underlying anxiety as well as the evidenced based practices to assist you through those uncomfortable feelings. This process usually involves CBT and mindfulness-based interventions!

Children &
Adolescents:

Disputing the idea that children are mini adults, developmentally, children have a unique way of perceiving the world around them and their place in it. Children are vulnerable mini beings that need protection and support. When children are struggling internally and experiencing anxiety, depression, and or other mental health issues they may present different than an adult. This frequently looks like children being irritable, angry, or lashing out verbally/ physically at siblings, parents and or peers. This behavior can be frustrating for parents, teachers, and friends; however, it is usually also frustrating and confusing to the child. It is important that therapy adapt to the child’s developmental level.

When we engage in play at any age our defenses usually go down. We begin to relax and welcome new experiences and relationships. Engaging children in play during therapy creates a space of openness and safety, which allows an environment for healing to occur. Children use play to show what they are not able to describe or communicate in words. Giving children a sense of reassurance and understanding through play allows them to relate and cope with self, others, and their perspective of the world in a healthier way. Children are resilient and through therapy they can learn to identify their feelings and adopt healthy ways to handle their emotions. Because children are not mini adults and rely on their caregiver, goals are best met when caregivers are involved in treatment