Individual Therapy
Do you often feel overwhelmed by difficult thoughts and emotions?
Do you feel like you are waiting for something to change so that you can really start living your life?
Are you experiencing depression, anxiety or difficulty in your relationships?
Do you feel stuck in patterns of behavior that you know aren’t serving you well?
Do you want more connection, more aliveness, or more freedom in your life?
Being Human is Difficult!
Regardless of whether or not you are struggling with a mental health challenge, addiction, or a traumatic experience, being human is difficult! At times we all experience suffering and confusion, and seek to comfort ourselves in ways that might not serve us over the long run. Without intentional introspection and personal growth, it is normal to get stuck in deeply limiting patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
Therapy can play a vital role in helping you get unstuck. Therapy provides the opportunity and support to safely explore your inner terrain and find new, more skillful ways of responding to your experiences.
I work with adults who are struggling with a range of concerns including:
Depression
Anxiety
Trauma
Relationships and interpersonal effectiveness
Anger issues
Self-esteem
Eating disorders, diet recovery and body image issues
Addictions (see my addiction counseling page)
Coping with general life stress
Personal growth
My Approach to Individual Therapy:
“Neuroscience research shows that the only way we can change the way we feel is by becoming aware of our inner experience and learning to befriend what is going on inside ourselves.”
—Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, MD
The therapy I offer is rooted in a combination of compassionate connection, opportunities for personal insight, and building concrete skills. I aim to provide a space where you can show up exactly as you are without being judged or faulted. From this space we can explore your world and work collaboratively towards your goals. I offer proven interventions, and help you build skills that allow for more freedom, flexibility and connection in your life.
Here are some areas my clients and I commonly focus on. Most of these are rooted in the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy approach.
Increasing self-awareness: Growth happens when the unconscious becomes conscious. By bringing your attention and curiosity to the wider breadth of your experience, you start to notice patterns and connections that you hadn’t noticed before. With this awareness comes choice. When you notice your self-defeating patterns coming up, in the moment, you have the power to choose a healthier response.
Acceptance: Acceptance in this context does not mean giving up or giving in; rather acceptance means being willing to experience whatever life brings you (including the difficult parts). It is human nature to try to avoid the painful areas of life. The problem is avoiding these area actually gives them more power. Practicing acceptance and willingness can, counter-intuitively, help you in accessing more freedom and psychological flexibility.
Self-Compassion: So many people have been taught to feel shame about their struggles, but this response does not create change. Real change requires a steady, caring presence. Self-compassion does not always come naturally, but it is a powerful skill that we can build through practice.
Authentic Relating Skills: The quality of our relationships has a huge impact on our overall wellbeing. Individual therapy can provide you with profound tools that can help you improve your effectiveness in relationships, get your needs met, and build the type of connections that you desire.
Self- Regulation: I offer tools to help stay present with and influence your emotional state. Learning to manage your emotional state and recognize your triggers will bring balance and consistency to your internal experience.
Values: I provide help identifying the things that matter most to you, and support you in building the capacity to act in line with these values, even when it feels difficult.
Mindfulness: I work with experiential exercises that help you experience the present moment with a quality of spaciousness, openness and acceptance. Mindfulness assists us in accessing all of the capacities listed above.
Questions you might have:
How long do I need to be in therapy?
Some people benefit from being in a therapeutic relationship for a long duration, while others prefer to address specific issues and move on. I follow your lead. I create treatment plans with my clients, which allows us to outline specific goals and track progress towards these goals. I check in regularly to see make sure we stay on track with what we are hoping to achieve together.
What is a typical therapy session like?
A lot of therapy can feel like a conversation with a friend who is very present, curious and thoughtful. I help find patterns of personality, behavior, and thinking that might be difficult to see on your own. I also incorporate experiential exercises, and specific skills, and psycho-education when appropriate.
How do I know if you are the right therapist for me?
I recommend interviewing several therapists to find the right fit. It is important to find a therapist who you connect with and feel understood by. To help with this decision I offer a free 20-minute consultation that can take place over the phone, on zoom or in person.
Please contact me if you are interested in taking the next step.
