What to expect from working with me:
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Psycho-education
I geek out about the neuroscience of psychotherapy. You will often find me talking about the nervous system (its activation/arousal, and strategies for its regulation), the neurobiology of emotions, neural plasticity (and all of the potential for change it represents!), and the somatic expressions of stress. I aim to provide my clients with digestible information and experiential knowledge they can practice in our sessions, so that they can apply them to their lives outside of our work.
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Deep listening
Healthy connection is biologically essential and when we experience co-regulation through nourishing, safe relationship and empathetic witness, it is physically (that’d be your nervous system again) and psychologically healing. Co-regulation with another person is one of the most powerful antidotes to distress, especially after exposure to chronic/traumatic stress. I believe that when we feel validated, understood, and truly seen, it allows us to shift out of survival mode (often the state we are in when we arrive to therapy), and into a state of safety—where we can actualize our potential, connect with others in healthy ways, and do our best work.
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Clinical Insight & Intuition
I think of the therapeutic process as equal parts art, science, and alchemy. We know that the relationship between client and therapist, and the client’s readiness for change, are the key factors in determining therapeutic outcomes. I see this work as a collaborative co-creation built on trust that is cultivated over time. I rely on my clinical training and my intuition as I help my clients explore the unique material of their lives. Together, we draw connections that help them better understand their past while developing skillfulness in managing their current circumstances, and exploring their hopes for the future.
My Approach
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Practicalities of working together
I provide depth-oriented, psychodynamic, and holistically attuned therapy to individuals.
What does this mean? Generally, I work with clients on a weekly basis for the term of the therapy. This frequency of interaction is intended to facilitate the development of 'traction' within the therapeutic relationship, and to support discovery, healing, insight, and sustainable change in the life of the client. The regularity of the therapeutic container has a stabilizing effect on the nervous system and provides clients with a chance to build safe attachment in a reliable environment. The work done in session—to improve coping and self-regulation skills, and to build self-awareness and capacity to be with and learn from our emotions—can then ripple out to other areas and relationships in the client’s life.
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Other modalities used
I strive to be nimble and attentive to the uniqueness of the client in front of me. My primary orientation is psychodynamic, however this approach leaves scope for drawing on other therapeutic modalities as appropriate, among them:
• Mindfulness
• Narrative
• CBT
• Family Systems
• Somatic Awareness
• Polyvagal
• Expressive Arts
• Relational
• Strengths-based
My closest people describe me as:
Warm, insightful, caring, “an otherworldly good listener.”
They also remind me that I’m curious, powerful, capable, funny and fun.
I share this because I think it has bearing in the therapeutic relationship. This work is serious and deep; sometimes, it’s painful and, hopefully, it’s profound. It can also be celebratory and exciting! What I would like you to know is that I come to the work as my true, human self, equally prepared to hold steady, focused, empathic space in the hardest moments, and to share a laugh or give you a high five in a moment of breakthrough.
A final thought:
Consciousness is the foundation of change. What we make conscious, we can heal.
I share several core beliefs with thinkers and philosophies in this field, among them:
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And our natural tendency is toward growth and wholeness. This is often talked about in metaphors, like plants; and, like plants, we talk about the environmental factors we live in, with, and through, as having the capacity to enhance or impede growth. When we remove the blockages to growth, we can flourish.
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As we add resources, we add more capacity to do well—for ourselves, and for our communities.
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Therapy isn't about advice or my opinion about what your health, well-being, or satisfaction look like. It *is* about journeying together, and helping you to explore what these mean to you—in order to bring more of each into your life.
