I approach — life and therapy with the idea that we are all trying to gain safety and control in our lives. People often seek therapy because the struggle and tension in life leads to unhelpful behaviors that tend to create more difficulties. When stress, shame, fear, anxiety, and depression get activated, we tend to retreat to these unhelpful patterns of behavior to manage. I aim to help people understand the factors that led to these behavioral and cognitive patterns, such as family dynamics, genetic predispositions, environmental factors, society expectations/standards and traumatic experiences.
Then, we will work together to help you find freedom from these psychological barriers created by these past experiences and add new resources to sustain growth and to find that sense of calm, ease and confidence.
I utilize — EMDR, in order to better help my clients reprocess and heal from traumatic past or present events. I also employ DNMS (Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy - https://www.dnmsinstitute.com/home/). DNMS is addresses unwanted emotions, beliefs and behaviors that are rooted in unmet needs from childhood and attachment wounds. I have trained in both of these modalities and am working to meet qualifications to receive certification.
I also draw from psychodynamic approach which helps us understand underlying thoughts, feelings and experiences which influence our behaviors. I can employ helpful skills and tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). These are the tools that will help you manage life’s daily stressors and the feelings that can make it difficult to cope.
In addition, I integrate body liberation and Health at Every Size® approaches when helping to heal client’s relationships to their bodies and to food. It is my belief that we deserve to feel safe and secure in our bodies, even when society and other external, intersecting factors make it difficult to achieve that feeling. I use whatever modality is more appropriate and I tailor the treatment specifically for each person’s goals.
I make sure to collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of professionals, as well as provide resources in order to help you get the best possible care in working towards recovery.