My Approach to Therapy
I believe strongly in every human’s ability to recover and grow, no matter the challenges or traumas that have come in the past. My approach to therapy is collaborative, founded on the belief that my clients will find the path of their recovery with some gentle guidance, education, and feedback from me. I don’t give advice, I won’t tell clients what to do, but instead will help my clients explore options that they may not have been aware of. I specialize in helping clients make sense of the journey they have lived: the joys, the traumas, and everything in between. I use many validated approaches to do this: EMDR, DBT, CBT, Motivational Interviewing, Mindfulness, and Positive Psychology to name the ones I turn to most frequently. All of this is grounded in a person-centered, humanistic approach that allows the whole person to be explored, not just naming what’s not working. All of this very much applies to clients who also struggle with substance use: I have extensive experience helping clients rebuild and re-examine their lives in the process of recovering from addiction.
In the last 10 years, I have worked mostly with adults who survived significant adversity while growing up and have some lasting effects as a result. These effects typically include trauma responses, uncomfortably high anxiety, depression, difficulty feeling safe, struggles finding safe and supportive relationships, challenges building a strong social network, periods of substance use in order to address internal pain, and overall questioning personal worth and validity in the world. If this sounds familiar, I look forward to helping you discover your voice, strength and resilient self.
I have been fortunate to work closely with excellent medical staff in multiple settings, including on psychiatric inpatient units. Out of this, I have developed some skill in discussing how medications may or may not be helpful (without making specific recommendations of a particular medication), and helping clients advocate for themselves when meeting with prescribers.
Out of the many hundreds of diagnostic assessments I have completed, I have gained some facility in helping clients sort through past diagnoses, seemingly conflicting symptoms, and come to a collaborative agreement on a diagnosis that makes sense and is empowering rather than stigmatizing.
Though I am not personally in recovery, I have lived through substance use crises in my family as well as with countless clients. I offer a strengths based, wellness oriented, harm reduction approach to thinking about use and recovery. I have witnessed the near-impossible happen as people emerge from the shadow of substance use and into the bright possibilities of a life worth living.
I offer a 20-minute free phone conversation for us to see how we connect prior to scheduling. I look forward to helping you along your journey of resilience and discovery.
Fees
Private pay, $130 per session. Sliding scale upon inquiry.
Insurance: Accepting Cigna, Aetna, United, Oscar, Oxford via headway.co. BCBS coming soon.