My Approach

My approach is person-centered, compassionate, and empathic while bringing my full authentic self to the work. I am supportive with a sense of unconditional positive regard and belief that people do the best they can while also challenging my clients to stretch themselves and work towards goals that will promote meaningful change in their lives.

My approach will vary slightly with every single client and that is intentional and based on observation, insight, and experience matched with my client's direct feedback on their background and preferences for their care.

Child Therapy

My approach in working with children balances education, play or high preference therapeutic activities, learning coping strategies, and self-regulation. Children often leave appointments having really enjoyed themselves, even after doing really challenging work on difficult topics and working on identified treatment goals.

My approach incorporates helping the child and their caregiver understand what is happening in their brain and body due to things like anxiety, stress, depression, or trauma. It's important that people of all ages understand what is happening to them, that it has a name thereby externalizing it and that it is not their fault, and they are not inherently bad because they have these challenges.

Including the caregiver in treatment is very important and depending on the age of the child they will likely play a primary role in supporting the change process because of being the primary attachment figure. The success of therapy is often dependent on the level of support and buy-in from the caregiver. For Child-Parent Psychotherapy (ages 0-6), the caregiver is part of every session and there typically are no Individual child sessions.

Adolescent Therapy

Adolescents are at a unique stage of life where more than ever they need to feel a sense of connection, belonging, autonomy, trust, and self-determination. I seek to provide a treatment approach where teens feel safe and supported in a non-judgemental space that is permission-based while working on treatment goals that we can identify together. Simply talking through the problem of the week doesn't really meet my client's needs in the long run, so I will seek to challenge them to both set and work toward goals that will promote meaningful change and growth in their lives.

My approach incorporates psycho-education to help them better understand the impact of their symptoms and history on their current functioning. We will also work to identify and practice strategies to use during periods of distress to improve coping and functioning across life domains.

While sessions are primarily Individual, we will work together to determine how caregiver involvement would be most supportive. It's common to have periodic caregiver-only appointments or family sessions, and/or to check in with the caregiver at the start of some sessions, to the client's tolerance and dependent on treatment goals.

Adult Therapy

My approach with adults varies by individual needs and preferences and often combines the best of Person-Centered Therapy (PCT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), creating a holistic, empowering treatment designed for real transformation. Whether you're dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, or trauma, this integrated approach can provide the support and tools you need to move forward with confidence. My approach incorporates unconditional acceptance and empathy. By creating a safe, non-judgmental space, you'll feel heard and understood as you explore your thoughts, emotions, and experiences. This foundation of trust allows you to open up and work toward personal growth in a way that’s comfortable and healing.

Once we understand your challenges together, we’ll use CBT techniques to help you identify and change negative thought patterns that keep you stuck. By learning to think more positively and realistically, you’ll develop healthier ways of responding to life’s ups and downs. We'll also work together to understand more about your stress response system and how that impacts your brain, body, mood, and behavior. If you're struggling with tolerating distress, we can explore DBT skills to help you to gain effective strategies to manage emotions, tolerate distress, and communicate more effectively. Through mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, you can develop practical tools to handle whatever life throws your way.

Every person is different, and this approach allows me to meet you where you are—providing personalized support that empowers you to overcome challenges and reach your full potential.

You’ll learn how to stay grounded in difficult situations, manage your emotions, and improve your relationships, so you can approach life with greater confidence and peace of mind. If you’re ready to break free from old patterns and create a more fulfilling, balanced life, I'm here to help.