My Approach
Many people seek therapy upon realizing that familiar ways of thinking, feeling, behaving, and relating to others have become unhelpful or even stifling. Maybe it’s difficult to sustain meaningful relationships, to confront anxiety-provoking situations, or to cultivate a positive, valued sense of yourself. Maybe you neglect yourself, play out self-defeating patterns, or invalidate your own feelings. There are innumerable ways that emotional pain shows up in our lives. However, it can be difficult to identify, confront, and work through this on your own, or to make changes that allow you to thrive.
Therapy provides a space where you aren’t alone in this process. I aim to create a non-judgmental, open space for clients to explore, identify, and ultimately work to transcend sources of emotional suffering. I believe that coming to understand the underlying—perhaps even unconscious—sources of our pain sets the stage for genuine and sustainable healing. As you come to a deeper understanding of yourself through therapy, you may find that symptoms begin to reside and you’re able to engage more authentically, meaningfully, and creatively in life. You might also cultivate a renewed sense of courage and resolve to confront difficult or anxiety-provoking emotions or situations, opening up the potential for new and more empowered modes of living.
My therapeutic style is integrative and draws heavily from psychodynamic and existential approaches, while incorporating cognitive-behavioral strategies tailored as needed to the individual. My work is also deeply-rooted in trauma-informed perspectives given my rich clinical experience treating clients coping with the effects of both childhood and adult onset trauma-exposure. My practice serves a mix of students, professionals, and military veterans or service members experiencing depression, post-traumatic stress, or various forms of anxiety (generalized anxiety, illness-anxiety, etc.). Other common concerns include pandemic stress or fatigue, work or school stress and burnout, life transitions, or interpersonal/relationship issues. Utilizing an integrative approach means that at times we may focus on specific coping strategies to alleviate symptoms, while at other times we may explore deeper emotions or recurring themes in your life that adversely impact your well-being or ability to pursue valued goals, healthy interpersonal connections, or a sense of greater meaning, agency, and purpose in life. I view the therapeutic process as an open dialogue and collaborative endeavor, and so the specific focus or strategies of treatment vary according to individual concerns, needs, and preferences.
I also have considerable experience serving members of culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse populations, having practiced mostly in publicly-funded, urban medical centers prior to entering the private sector. Accordingly, I am familiar with the unique emotional and psychosocial stressors that must be attended to in the psychotherapeutic process with diverse clientele, and am dedicated to creating a culturally sensitive, inclusive space for my clients that honors all aspects of identity and lived experience.