APPROACH
My unique approach to counseling offers a holistic perspective to help create an environment where you become more centered and grounded, able to stand in choice, make qualified judgments, and begin to live your most connected life.
My background and training allow me to take an eclectic approach based on the needs of the individual. My approach is:
- Holistic– Mind, body, and spirit are connected and part of one system that comprises each unique individual. What we think affects how we feel and vice versa. How we treat our bodies affects how we feel. What we choose to believe about ourselves and the world ultimately affects our action. Any plan for our “best life” has to address all areas.
- Narrative– What story are we telling ourselves about our current situation? What do we tell ourselves about our future? Part of effective work is investigating these narratives for truth.
- Somatic– Analyzing our narratives for truth is necessary but in my experience often not sufficient for lasting change. It’s not enough to accept something at the cognitive level because research on decision-making shows that choices are generally made from our emotional core. We are intelligent enough to rationalize whatever is most important to us emotionally. To believe something, to trust it enough to live it out, we need to create “felt experience” in the body. This creates a concrete memory that says “I know this is true because I experienced it in my own body.”
When you join me for a session, you can expect to be made at ease and get right to the heart of what you would like to be different.
CLIENTS/CONDITIONS
Counseling
As a counselor, I work with individuals, couples, and families struggling with anxiety, depression, or major life transitions to make positive change. My counseling style is rooted in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (changing our “stinking thinking” to healthy thoughts and beliefs that we can buy into on a daily basis), Narrative Therapy (the stories we tell about our own lives and the world are important because they have a huge impact on how we live and what actions we take or don’t take), and Solution-Focused Therapy (let’s focus on our strengths and what we are occasionally doing right and how to do more of that rather than beat ourselves up in our heads, which keeps us stuck).
As a coach, I operate in the now and focus on moving forward. It doesn’t matter as much how you created a habit as much as what it will take to change it. Clients who benefit from my coaching desire to change and want to be enveloped by a partnership where there is encouragement, groundedness, and confidence. This type of relationship is a safe place to grow, and forms a springboard to take risks.
I am uniquely qualified to assist clients who aim to:
- set healthy boundaries and practice assertiveness, and, by doing so, foster self-respect and self-compassion
- develop the skills needed to experience true intimacy, either for the first time or at an unprecedented level
- learn skills to manage anxiety or depression to live a better life
- focus on what they can control and go through a process that results in intentional choices that reflect their core values
People benefit most from my services when they:
- are willing to look deeply at themselves and others around them and do the work of “sorting the laundry” – what belongs to me and what belongs to others
- are committed to taking action that leads to a more productive, meaningful, and satisfying life
- desire greater connection in their relationships or more passion in their work life
- Clients are moved to take action based on their own personal values
- Clients feel cared for and simultaneously held … are held accountable
- Clients move forward in their thinking, creating a more fulfilling life
- Clients take ownership of their life, developing boundaries that empower them to focus on their priorities.