My approach is relationship-focused, which means I show up as my real self and help you do the same. At the start of sessions, I’ll check in with you to ensure that you’re feeling centered and ready for therapy. If you’re not, then that’s okay. We’ll gently unwind any initial anxiety, tend to any hard emotions you’re walking in with, or just help you take an intentional breath. The goal is simple—I always want to make sure you’re feeling safe, present, and ready to take the next step.
That presence is key. While I am interested in how your past led to your current challenges, we will not dwell there—the present is where our work takes place. I’ll emphasize building a trusting relationship where we can pay attention to your flow of thoughts, feelings, and emotions in the moment. My role is to help you stay grounded while we notice old survival patterns, explore difficult memories, and practice new ways of being at a pace that feels right for you.
Many of my clients find this active approach refreshing and engaging. Instead of just asking you questions and passively listening while you try to explore your experience alone, I support you through gentle guidance. As an analogy, I won’t just push your boat out to sea and wave from the shore; I’ll get into the boat and row with you.
I work with individuals who are navigating both sudden life changes and long-standing challenges. We can work together on:
- Anxiety: Undoing rumination, future-projections, and the feeling of being perpetually on guard.
- Depression: Addressing numbness, disinterest in life, or energy that has been turned inward.
- Complex Trauma and PTSD: Processing “living memories” from the past that continue to overwhelm your sense of safety, identity, and relationships today.
- Relational Patterns: Exploring and unlearning unhelpful cycles of conflict, avoidance, or dependence in your relationships.
- Self-Worth: Working with harsh inner critics that lead to burnout or malevolent perfectionism.
- Life Transitions and Grief: Finding a grounded space to make sense of job changes, identity shifts, or the pain of real loss.
We all learned survival strategies that kept us safe or helped us get our needs met when better options weren’t clearly available.
Every pattern you carry served a purpose at some point, even if it doesn’t work for you today. Sometimes these patterns look like vivid survival responses, such as anxiety, depression, emotional overwhelm, outbursts, or shame spirals. Other times, they are subtle, like avoiding closeness, constant masking, or carrying a harsh inner critic that looks like “perfectionism” to the outside world.
We’ll stay grounded as we explore these patterns, acknowledge how they once protected you, and begin practicing new ways of being at a pace that feels right for you.
Our sense of self is deeply rooted in our ability to safely experience our emotions, frustrations, and desires. There are many reasons why we might be disconnected from our feelings. We might feel numb, overwhelmed, or afraid that others won’t give us the space and patience we need to express our emotions fully.
When it doesn’t feel safe or doable to stay present with our emotional experiences and feelings, it’s hard to have clarity about what we want, what we need, or even who we are.
Part of our work involves slowing everything down, helping you reconnect with your sense of feeling and safety, and gradually discovering your authentic self.
Ready to connect?
Finding the right therapist is a big step. If anything you’ve read resonates, I encourage you to reach out. I offer a free 15-minute consultation to answer any questions and help you decide if we’re a good fit.
