What can I expect from therapy?

Some people are looking for a very structured approach. Others want an unstructured time every week to be better in touch with their feelings. Most are looking for something in between. My approach to therapy is driven by a desire to combine my expertise in the understanding and treatment of mental health concerns with your expertise in yourself and your experience. In session, this often looks like spending some time getting to know each other and identifying therapeutic goals before beginning to explore your relationship with emotions and symptoms.

Why do people come to therapy?

Therapy is helpful in supporting people who have struggled to feel the way they want, manage symptoms, and/or have healthy relationships. Sometimes therapy is about symptom management, but it certainly is not limited to just this focus. Therapy can address relationships, social issues, stress management, and many more topics.

What if my teen is resistant or hesitant?

Let's face it, even though I'm a psychologist and opening up is paramount in good therapy, it's completely natural to feel hesitant or even scared to open up to a complete stranger. Especially for teens, it may even be overwhelming to think about voicing concerning, overwhelming, or confusing feelings.

My approach is to explicitly talk about hesitations and respect my patient’s boundaries. The initial focus of therapy might need to be on building trust in the relationship. Pressuring and/or criticizing a teen for not opening up usually leads to increased shutdown and a lower likelihood of opening up in the future. In effect, it shows that I won’t respect your boundary when you make it clear to me. Trust can’t exist in this situation. If we need to talk about favorite movies, foods, and video games for a while, so be it! I’ll definitely start challenging them to start doing some basic reflection on feelings, but won’t push too hard.

What is family therapy like?

My approach to family therapy focuses on thematic issues with communication, structure, emotional safety, and attachment. To change problematic themes, we must first become aware of them in the moment. The initial focus can include sessions with all family members present, but often involves individual sessions as well. As we shift into a more action-focused phase of treatment, the family will often utilize time to talk about problematic themes, reflect on aspects of the family they’ve become aware of over time, and practicing new, healthier habits in session.

What other kinds of support do you offer?

As your psychologist, I believe that collaborating with other professionals or important people in your life is not only beneficial, but integral to good therapy. This is completely dependent on your openness to including others in therapy. I have experience in working with other mental health professionals, primary care physicians, school personnel, and family members/significant others.