First-Hand Experience
I am an experienced EMDR and trauma therapist, and whatever brings you to therapy, I will listen with warmth and respect.
I come to this work with a personal history of complex trauma and dissociation. During my own healing journey, I experienced the trauma interventions I use as a therapist
While most consider suffering demeaning, I have found that after acknowledging the impact of hardship and proper grief work, we often emerge with great self-awareness and resiliency. This approach calls for motivation to change and a willingness to practice new skills.
Approach & Counseling Philosophy
My primary treatment approach is relational EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy). Inside this EMDR main frame, I also rely on ego state work (parts work), clinical hypnosis, TF-CBT (trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy), inner child work, EFT (emotional freedom technique), guided imagery, mindfulness and other strategies. I use these tools in individual sessions and teach many of them in the groups I facilitate.
I believe that therapy is a collaborative, creative process and clinically, I am warm, active, innovative and data-driven.
This means I rely heavily on evidence-based tools supported by data from clinical trials, follow my client’s progress with quantitative metrics and double-check my work with validated assessments and questionnaires.
My ideal client is highly motivated and knows that therapy requires active involvement, including efforts to practice inner resources, change self-defeating behaviors and challenge overly negative thinking. Healing occurs with conscious effort, which may include assignments for at-home healing activities.
I encourage my clients to seek out therapy groups due to the experiential nature of group work, and I endorse peer-to-peer support, 12-step groups and complementary healing approaches outside of professional counseling. Taking into account a client’s strengths, culture, community, faith and/or spiritual beliefs can also be helpful.
I operate on a fee-for-service model, which means that I do not take insurance.
