Hello. A Little Bit About Me
If you are reading this website, congratulations! You are one step closer to a new you, where you can feel empowered and create a positive path toward change and personal growth.
As a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I have helped countless people resolve and make positive and inspiring changes. Over the past 30 years, I have worked with adults, adolescents, children, families and couples to help them identify and understand the challenges that can be overwhelming and confusing. While we can’t change difficult situations from the past, we can work together to better understand the effects from the past and resolve challenges we face today. By applying a variety of evidence based therapeutic approaches and techniques, we will unearth long-standing behavior patterns or negative perceptions that may be holding you back from experiencing more fulfilling and meaningful life.
If you or someone you know is looking for extra support and guidance through a challenging situation, or there is a need to move in a new direction in life, I look forward to working with you to achieve your goals.
Please call, email or request an appointment a consultation today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Psychotherapy can provide support, problem-solving skills, and coping strategies for issues such as depression, anxiety, relationship troubles, addiction and recovery, unresolved childhood issues, grief, and stress management. Many people also find that counselors can be a tremendous asset to managing personal growth, interpersonal relationships, family concerns, marriage issues, and managing the stress of everyday living. Some of the benefits available from therapy include:
- Clarifying life goals and creating an action plan
- Developing skills for improving relationships
- Learning new ways to manage stress and anxiety
- Managing anger, grief, depression, and other emotional pressures
- Improving communication and listening skills
- Changing old behavior patterns and developing healthier new ones
- Improving self-esteem and boosting self-confidence
Every therapy session is unique and custom-designed for you and your specific goals. It is standard for therapists to discuss the primary issues and concerns in your life during therapy sessions. Therapy can be short-term, focusing on a specific issue, or longer-term, addressing more complex issues or ongoing personal growth. For therapy to be most effective, you must be an active participant, both during and in between sessions. Here are some things you can expect out of our therapy sessions:
- Compassion, respect and understanding
- Perspectives to illuminate persistent patterns and negative feelings
- Real strategies for enacting positive change
- Effective and proven techniques, along with practical guidance
In some cases, a combination of medication and therapy is the right course of action. Working with your medical provider, you can determine what’s best for you. It is well established that the long-term solution to mental and emotional problems and the pain they cause cannot be solved solely by medication. Instead of just treating the symptom, therapy addresses the cause of our distress and the behavior patterns that curb our progress. You can best achieve sustainable growth and a greater sense of well-being with an integrative approach to wellness.
Confidentiality is one of the most important components between a client and a psychotherapist. Successful therapy requires a high degree of trust with highly sensitive subject matter that is usually not discussed anywhere but in the therapist’s office. Every therapist should provide you with a written copy of their confidential disclosure agreement, and you can expect that what you discuss in the session will not be shared with anyone. This is called “Informed Consent.” Sometimes, you may want your therapist to share information or give an update to someone on your healthcare team, such as your physician, psychiatrist, or attorney, but by law, your therapist cannot release this information without obtaining your written permission. However, state law and professional ethics require therapists to maintain confidentiality; however, we are required by law to report to authorities when:
- Information provided by the client or official sources about suspected past or present abuse or neglect of children, adults, and elders must be reported to the authorities.
- The therapist has reason to suspect the client is seriously in danger of harming themself or has threatened to harm another person.
- If Homeland Security makes an inquiry.