Trauma-informed therapy to help you live your most authentic life
What brings you to therapy?
Do you feel stuck on negative memories or events in your life? Are you bothered by patterns in your behavior? Do you make decisions to please people in your life or in order to avoid upsetting others? Do you struggle to feel a sense of identity outside of your relationships to others (partner, parent, child, sibling, etc.)? Do any relationships in your life (former or present) cause you more stress or pain than you feel they should? Are you bothered by symptoms of depression, anxiety, ADHD, or another mental disorder?
The process of beginning therapy with me will start with a 20 minute phone or telehealth consultation, and I encourage you to think about these questions ahead of time, so that I can learn a little about what brings you to therapy. What parts of your life would you like to improve? What stands in the way of you living a life that is in touch with your authentic self? We will work together to make progress in areas YOU want and work towards YOUR goals for yourself. I am here to help!
Trauma
Did you know that trauma can include things many of us might think of as parts of everyday life? Financial stress, toxic relationships, bullying, emotional abuse or neglect, chronic illness or legal troubles are all example of complex or chronic trauma that so many of us experience. And a growing body of research suggests that these repeated “little traumas” can have more of a negative impact on us than a single incident of “big trauma” (a car accident or assault, for example).
Needless to say, it’s no wonder so many of us are looking for relief from our trauma and its related symptoms! When we have experienced trauma, we can end up spending so much of our life in a state of hypervigilance or in other words fight-flight-freeze-or-fawn mode. In hypervigilance, we’re operating from a place of survival, not a place where we’re in touch with our values or our needs. We cannot go back and change what we have experienced, but we can change how we respond to it, how we process it, and how we address those symptoms of trauma so that we may lead happier, more content lives in which we are more in touch with our authentic self.
Relationships
Relationships play a huge role in our lives! From the people who make up our support systems to the folks in our lives that cause us the most grief (and sometimes these are one in the same!), we are impacted on a daily basis by our relationships.
This impact starts early, from our time in infancy, when our relationship with our primary caregivers, and the development of a secure or an insecure attachment, sets the stage for how we will interact with others (family, friends, partners) for the rest of our lives. Whether you are troubled by a past abusive or toxic relationship, are trying to manage stress from a current relationship, or are simply interested in how you can heal your attachment wounds and learn to form secure attachments, therapy with me can help you to process and heal from the negative ways your relationships may have impacted you.
Interested in the nitty gritty? Here’s a little bit about the types of therapy I utilize.
I, like many therapists, utilize a few different modalities, and will tailor exactly what I use with you to meet your specific needs. I obviously (see above) use a trauma-informed approach to therapy and am heavily influenced by attachment theory. I also utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Mindfulness.
I work with clients aged 12 and up of any race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, ability, etc., Outside of working with people who have experienced trauma or have a trauma disorder (PTSD or C-PTSD) I also have experienced working with depression, anxiety, neurodivergence (ADHD and Autism), and school or learning difficulties.
TL;DR
My areas of focus as a therapist are:
trauma (including complex or chronic trauma),
relationships (current relationships, toxic relationships, the complex relationships we may hold with family members or our caregivers, etc.),
and overall mental health and well-being.
I have experience working with:
depression (including self-harm behaviors and suicidal ideation),
anxiety,
neurodivergence (ADHD and autism),
and school or learning difficulties.
I incorporate many different types of therapy into my work, because it’s not one size fits all, but the primary therapy types that I utilize are:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT),
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT),
Internal Family Systems (IFS) or parts work,
and Mindfulness.
Interested in working with me, but unsure if you would be a good fit? Fill out the contact form to schedule a 20 minute phone or video consultation!