Specialties
Depression
Have you ever felt like the future is bleak, like there is not much to look forward to in life? Maybe you feel deeply alone or faulty, like no one truly sees you or wants to be with you intimately. Or perhaps you feel that the state of the world is hopeless. You might have very low motivation or have long lost the ability to feel pleasure in things. Most of us, including myself, have experienced, or will experience, at least one depressive episode in our lives. Some helpful approaches include physical exercise, mindfulness, inner critic work, internal family systems, medication, and cognitive behavioral therapy. I can support you to navigate this very difficult experience.
Anxiety
Anxiety can be intermittent or it can feel nearly constant. It can feel like the worst case scenario is very likely to happen. We can worry about relationships, the state of the world, finances, work, or, it can feel like we are constantly worrying about everything, even things that seem small. Anxiety is a mental and emotional challenge but is also very much a physical issue. Mindfulness can help greatly to calm the body. By turning inward with compassion and awareness, we learn to allow the tensions, giving them space to relax on their own. Often once the body relaxes, the mind follows. When we feel safe in our bodies, everything else tends to feel safer. This is a “bottom up” approach to treating anxiety.
Grief
Grief is a natural and universal experience not only for humans but for other mammals as well. Grief can be extremely intense following the loss of an important person. This is a natural and potentially transformative process. I will be with you in the intensity and the confusion. This process can manifest in a variety of ways - intense sadness, anger, bitterness, depression, guilt, peace, relief, joy, compassion, numbness, confusion, and physical symptoms. Or, perhaps we are not grieving a specific loss but are confronting the accumulated sorrow of life - this accumulation is normal and unavoidable. Perhaps we have not had safe enough environments to cry. Therapy is a space where it’s safe to relieve yourself of this, to express the tears of disappointment and dashed hopes.
Stress
Do you feel overwhelmed by life? Like you’re being pulled in a hundred different directions? Like the demands are just too high? You are not alone. Chronic stress can be the result of trauma, an internal critical voice, or by an unavoidable difficult circumstance. Or perhaps, we have learned to push ourselves past our limits, causing everything to feel pressurized and difficult. Like all emotions, stress is largely a physical experience. Therefore, we once again include the body in therapy. By creating a space for our bodies in mindful awareness, we begin to unfold. We also get clearer about the thoughts and impulses that compel us to push harder, to feel guilty, or unsafe. Overtime, it becomes easier to allow ourselves the necessary time and space to unwind.
Developmental Trauma
Did you have a very difficult childhood or adolescence? Did you often feel overwhelmed, unsupported, unseen, neglected, abandoned, shamed, abused, or unsafe? For years, we may feel chronically angry, frustrated, ashamed, depressed, anxious, unable to relax or sleep. For many of us who experience this, it might seem like we feel bad for no reason. It might feel like we haven’t had much happiness in our lives, or perhaps we don’t remember much of our childhood or adolescence. It may feel like we keep making the same mistakes, or keep finding ourselves in the same negative relationship patterns. These wounds are often connected to unconscious core beliefs and emotions. Therefore, in therapy, we aim to bring these into the light of awareness where they can be nurtured and understood.
Relationship Issues
Are you unsatisfied with your relationship? Perhaps you are navigating a separation, or perhaps you find yourself in the same kinds of difficult relationship patterns over and over. Or, perhaps you struggle with feeling chronically alone and unable to form loving bonds. Chronic relationship difficulties can lead to depression, anxiety, and chronic shame. These difficulties are often connected to an insecure attachment style. Insecure attachment forms in the first few years of life if our caregivers were unable to support us emotionally. Perhaps they were inconsistent, not comfortable with difficult emotions, were overwhelmed themselves, or were overbearing, causing us to feel smothered. These patterns follow us into adult relationships, causing us to feel constantly anxious about our partners leaving us, or chronically numb, disconnected, dissatisfied, and unable to form a nourishing relationship. I can help you become aware of your attachment style, and begin learning new habits to help you on your journey to creating loving and secure relationships.