Holistic Therapy for Well-Being

Welcome to my site!  I hope to provide a sense of how therapy can work by sharing some of the healing resources I have come to appreciate. Finding "what works" in therapy may be likened to hiking up a mountain.  Though there may be many perfectly good routes to your destination, finding your way requires learning to find and trust your own footing, follow your sense of what fits, and honor your personal pace.   Just as seeking therapy is a powerful step in opening to your unique healing process, evidenced based research has shown that a collaborative attuned therapeutic relationship is the most important factor in Successful Outcomes.  It is clear that we heal through relationships on many levels. Healing Relationships are not only important resources along a path of personal growth and resolution, but also a welcome natural outcome of effective Psychotherapy. 

Healing Relationships are deeply compassionate, respectful, and personally valuing by their very nature. They allow a true appreciation of the person's unique intrinsic qualities to be seen.  Though we may often become preoccupied with the external interpersonal world, it is important to realize the power of a healing relational presence within. Whether the focus of treatment is on developing effective communication and intimacy, clarifying healthy balanced roles in Family Systems, facilitating resolution of Trauma, Grief, and Life Transitions, Relationship is key.  Establishing compassionate relational presence is the primary ingredient for facilitating integration and resolution of overwhelming experiences.  It opens a path for balancing exaggerated defensive patterns, habits, and symptoms. Cultivating a consistent benevolent relationship with our Self is an essential ground for healing and resolution.  

There are a multitude of valuable resources available in our modern age which tap from rich healing traditions.

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approaches such as D.B.T., E.M.D.R., I.F.S. and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy are recognized among other Evidenced Based Practices as effective in the treatment of Emotion Regulation and Trauma related disorders.  

Mindfulness and Self-compassion are especially accessible and user friendly ways of restoring our true sense of Self. Thich Nhat Hanh is particularly helpful in clarifying how we can come back to our Self and water wholesome seeds with practices of Mindfulness and Self-compassion.  He demonstrates how to bring our mind back home to our body and reconnect in the present moment.  He explains how our suffering needs to be noticed, held in loving arms, and deeply understood for it to begin healing.  The practice of mindfulness develops a kind of increased tolerance for our painful areas, much like that of a mother's instinctual response towards a child's distress. Our suffering needs our caring attention rather than aversion or running away from it.  "Mindfulness is like that mother, recognizing and embracing suffering without judgement... the practice is not to fight or suppress the feeling, but rather to cradle it with a lot of tenderness" (Thich Nhat Hanh, No Mud, No Lotus, 2014, pp. 26-27).

Accessing and honoring your unique healing metaphors is an essential part of the resolution process.   Finding appropriate modes of healing can include various creative activities.   As a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, a Board Certified Registered Art Therapist, a Certified E.M.D.R. Therapist, an I.F.S. Therapist, and a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, I am pleased to offer a wide range of therapy approaches, allowing my clients to find the tools and paths which fit best at each point in their healing process.   These modes seem especially helpful in developing Emotion Regulation, Insight, Self-esteem, Creativity, and attention to Spirituality as important avenues for promoting healing and recovery.

I believe we come to our most difficult passages in life at opportune times in order to grow toward our true capacity and purpose.  I respect that my clients possess the seeds of awareness and expertise to find answers and solutions to their own problems.  Finding a therapist can be an important step in this process.  My role is to establish a compassionate interactive presence to assist in working through difficult emotions, reactive defenses, or protective habits, and open attention back to fruitful areas.  I am an advocate for personal development, collaborating in finding useful vantage points for expanding visibility, encouraging resolution, and resumption of the innate growth process.