I work with clients in weekly 50 minute appointments. I offer both short term and long term therapy.
My approach is integrative. I work relationally in the here and now, which means that we will focus more on your experience in the present moment than on what’s happened to you in the past- though of course the past may be a part of the therapy as well. I see therapy as an ever moving and evolving process and as such our sessions may look different from week to week: one week we may process a difficult conversation that you had with a loved one and notice how it’s impacting you, and the next week we may explore a dream you had as a way to get in touch with the unconscious. My primary modalities are: Gestalt, Hakomi, and Somatic Experiencing. I also incorporate techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Family Systems Theory, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Gestalt
I had the honor of training at the Church Street Integral Counseling Center, which is a Gestalt-oriented clinic, for both my Practicum and Internship under the mentorship of Gieve Patel, Lu Gray, and Deborah Stone. Training at a Gestalt Clinic has deeply influenced my therapeutic work, and I believe in this approach so much as I have studied and experienced a wide range of approaches, and this is the one that centers around the innate wisdom that the client brings to the table. Gestalt therapy is unique in that it is awareness based and experiential- at times we will try out experiments and notice and learn from what happens in the process- rather than using the mind to try to understand what’s happening.
In therapy, we may do "parts work" together. This can be used to tease apart the different parts of us that may be at odds with one another. For example in choosing if it's time to leave our current job, we may embody and explore the part of us that is ready to leave and then separately the part of us that wants to stay. We may have a conversation with each part to determine what else is there. By giving a voice to all of the parts that are present, we can untangle what’s happening under the surface and typically come to a new and more empowered place.
Hakomi/ Mindfulness
Add a piece about what Hakomi is:
From Hakomi, I utilize mindfulness to deepen into the therapeutic process. In therapy, if it resonates for you I may offer short guided meditations or visualizations to support you in dropping into a deeper and more intuitive space inside of you. It is from this space that we may revisit an issue that you have been experiencing anxiety around, and I will ask you to notice what may shift for you when you connect to this issue from a more grounded place. From that mindful place, I may offer an experiment, for example asking you to "notice what happens for you when I say... it's okay not to know right now," and we will explore together what shows up for you as you hear these words.
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing is a highly effective tool to support us in coming back into our ‘window of tolerance’ when we have left it. In Somatic Experiencing we will work slowly and gently- when working with a difficult or uncomfortable emotion- we will slowly dip in, and then quickly shift to a more pleasurable or comforting space.
If we are exploring an emotion such as anger, I may ask you "Where do you experience that in your body?" or "How do you know that you are angry?" If an experience shows up that may feel flooding, I utilize resourcing tools from Somatic Experiencing to shift the focus and bring you back. For example by saying "I want you to take a moment and connect internally, and bring to your awareness your favorite place to be. Imagine yourself in this space- what does it feel like to be here, what do you see?”
COURSE OF THERAPY
In the course of therapy, we will begin by creating a foundation of tools to allow you to have more awareness and control over your emotional experience. This often includes building