In my work with adults, my focus is to create a supportive space to explore your unique life challenges, gain insights, and develop new patterns of relating to your thoughts and feelings as well as to those around you. It is possible to cultivate greater levels of peace, wholeness, and joy in your life.  I specialize in a mindfulness-based approach to therapy and have been trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for trauma. I would be honored to partner with you in your healing process.

Specialties & Issues:

• Anxiety, Depression, & PTSD
• ADHD-related issues
• Panic Attacks/Disorder
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Relationship Issues
• Boundaries in Relationships
• Parenting Challenges
• Family Conflicts
• Medical Trauma/Chronic Illness
• Spiritual Crisis/Deconstruction
• Grief/Loss
• Personal Growth
• Mindfulness Meditation

Is your teen dealing with anxiety, depression, focus issues, obsessive compulsive patterns, or even just a difficult life experience or general overwhelm?  You are not alone, and neither are they.  It is generally considered harder to be a teenager today than it ever has been.  Between social media pressures, cyberbullying, academic expectations, and information overload, it can be such a challenging time. It can also be a very exciting time!  I have a passion for connecting with teens and creating a safe space for them to feel heard, validated, and to learn the necessary skills to cultivate greater mental health and find their authentic path forward.

Specialties and Issues:

• Anxiety, Depression, Trauma
• Attention Deficit Disorder
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Stress Management
• Social Struggles/Navigating Relationships
• Family Conflicts
• Self-Esteem
• Grief/Loss

Do you have a teen with anxiety, depression, ADHD, or a highly sensitive temperament?  This can make for a very different parenting journey and sometimes it can be helpful to have some support and guidance in meeting your child’s unique needs. At different points in life, parents often feel they are inadequate because they do not instinctively know what to do when it comes to raising their children. It is important to keep in mind, however, that many parenting skills are not instinctive, but learned! Parenting support therapy helps parents understand themselves and what might be getting in the way of connecting with and supporting their teens.  Together we look at what is normal and appropriate adolescent development as well as the unique challenges that your child faces.  And then we work together to grow your communication, listening, and mindfulness skills so that you can help your child as they mature both cognitively and developmentally. Prioritizing your own mental health can be the most valuable thing you can do to support your child.

It is inevitable that there will be pain and struggle in life.  Mindfulness offers us a scientifically proven way to decrease the additional suffering we frequently experience due to the patterns of our minds.  Through mindfulness, we train the mind to become less reactive and entangled in thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations.

There is a plethora of research backing the many benefits of mindfulness.  MRI studies at Harvard actually show that mindfulness meditation increases the grey matter in the frontal lobe of the brain and decreases it in the amygdala or the stress center of the brain.

In therapy, mindfulness can be used to help individuals become more present-moment oriented, reduce the impact of negative or intrusive thoughts, and develop greater acceptance and compassion towards their experiences. Mindfulness techniques can also be used to promote relaxation, reduce stress and anxiety, and improve overall mental health and well-being.  Here are some of the scientifically backed benefits of a mindfulness approach in therapy:

• Increased insight
• Enhanced self-awareness
• Learning how to ‘respond’ versus ‘react’ to stressors
• Being more present
• Increased concentration/attention
• Learning how to decrease self-judgment
• Increased self-compassion
• Improved patience
• Learning how to deal with anxiety symptoms
• Reduced chances of relapsing into depression, anxiety, burnout
• A greater sense of joy, contentment, gratitude

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are a result of disturbing life experiences/trauma.  EMDR works by having a patient work with traumatic memories while simultaneously experiencing a form of bilateral stimulation, like eye movements, alternating sounds, or holding tappers or pulsators that create vibrations between the left and right side of the body.  Bilateral stimulation is believed to help the brain process and “re-store” the memory, reducing its emotional intensity and negative impact on the individual.

It is widely assumed that severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal. Repeated studies on EMDR therapy show that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma. When you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound. If a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain. Once the block is removed, healing resumes.

EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes. The brain’s information processing system naturally moves toward mental health. If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause intense suffering. Once the block is removed, healing resumes.