INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOTHERAPY

As a licensed, integrative psychotherapist, I work to help clients by using a combination of techniques, including:

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS): A strengths-based model that provides a language to look at yourself and others differently.  IFS is based on the idea that we have a Self, as well as an indefinite amount of parts, or sub-personalities. Sometimes we express ourselves with “part of me feels this way” while another “part of me feels that way.” Similar to a large family unit, where each individual has their own perspective, history, beliefs, and feelings, IFS works to understand the internal world through this lens. 

    As we develop as individuals, so do our parts, each one of them with distinct needs and functions within our system. No part of you is ill-intentioned; each one wants something positive for you and will try to take the driver’s seat. Ultimately, we want the Self leading the way, as it is the core, compassionate, center of you. The Self can approach life with confidence, perspective, and acceptance.
  • Positive Psychology:  A branch of psychology that uses scientific understanding and effective intervention to aid in the achievement of a satisfactory life. It is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experience of love, work, and play. It is the scientific study of what makes life most worth living, focusing on both individual and societal well-being.
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): A powerful psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. It targets distressing experiences that have become stuck in the brain and body. In the same way our body can be overwhelmed by an illness, parts of our brain processing can be overwhelmed by a traumatic life experience or a series of experiences. The memory of these experiences remains undigested, becoming “frozen in time,” and can be unknowingly triggered by current events or experiences. EMDR appears to be similar to what occurs naturally during dreaming or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and has been shown to be effective in dealing with anxiety, grief, panic attacks, and negative beliefs.
  • Solution-Focused Therapy: A goal-directed collaborative approach to psychotherapeutic change that is conducted through direct observation of clients’ responses to a series of precisely constructed questions.  SFBT is a future-oriented and goal-oriented interviewing technique that helps clients “build solutions.” It is a collaborative language process between the client and the therapist that develops a detailed description of the client’s preferred future/goals and identifies exceptions and past successes.  By doing so, SFBT focuses on clients’ strengths and resilience.
  • Relational Psychotherapy:  An approach that can help individuals recognize the role relationships play in the shaping of daily experiences, attempts to help people understand patterns appearing in the thoughts and feelings they have toward themselves.Based on the idea that strong and fulfilling relationships with other individuals can help people maintain emotional well-being, this model may be beneficial for many clients, but, in particular, those who are interested in addressing long-term emotional distress, especially when distress occurs as a result of relational concerns.

COACHING 

As a certified positive psychology-based coach, I assist my clients in discovering what they want in life and help them unlock their greatest potential to achieve it.  Positive psychology based coaching uses scientifically proven approaches to help further empower clients to achieve greater well-being, life satisfaction, and personal mastery.  I use a process of inquiry and personal discovery to lead my clients towards the realization of their visions, goals, or desires. I work with my clients to help them move from a fixed mindset to achieving a growth mindset.  This process helps each client see challenging situations as opportunities to grow and flourish.  Accountability is also critical in sustaining established goals and maintaining one’s optimal well-being.