“As I work with people, I help them locate and access the essential goodness and wholeness that exists regardless of their circumstances, using the inner and outer resources that allow them to thrive.”
What was your path to becoming a therapist?
One of my strengths as a therapist comes from growing up in a family with a parent who suffered significant mental illness. I have learned to not only survive my own difficulties but to thrive as a person. As I work with people, I help them locate and access the essential goodness and wholeness that exists regardless of their circumstances, using the inner and outer resources that allow them to thrive. I have years of experience working as the lead expressive arts therapist at a residential psychiatric clinic for adults and teens. I have worked for 20 years in private practice as well. I have extensive training in psychodrama, the expressive arts, EMDR, and psychophysiology. I feel very fortunate to have training that is both right brain specific and left brain holistic; this allows me to respond to clients both factually and creatively.
What should someone know about working with you?
I see therapy as a collaboration, a mutually active engagement where I bring empathy and curiosity. I use various forms of enactment that model a client's outer situations and inner struggles to externalize and help clients gain perspective while discovering what holds them back and what empowers them to go forward. I use EMDR, biofeedback, and sensory motor exercises to help clients regulate their emotional state. We begin by sorting out your goals and addressing any fears, concerns, and questions about therapy. Generally, we take some time to explore the history and context of your concerns. Then, we make a plan of treatment, including what we will do in session and what you will do between sessions.
What are you most excited about within the evolving mental health landscape?
I was initially concerned about meeting clients via telehealth and feared it would feel impersonal and disconnected. I have come to find that most of my clients enjoy being in the comfort of their homes and not having to use time for travel.
“I use various forms of enactment that model a client's outer situations and inner struggles to externalize and help clients gain perspective while discovering what holds them back and what empowers them to go forward.”