Therapy is a powerful time, space, and relationship… whether one-on-one, with a partner, as a family, or in a group! We’ll look at how society, family, and your individual nervous system and personality play a part in how you experience life – the assets, the struggles, and everything else! Some of that includes…

Narrative & Collaborative Therapy: This is the cornerstone of my approach. Sometimes, the stories we carry with us about our experiences and the layers of our identity might be distressing, disempowering, or discordant with what is at our core. Through therapy, we explore what alternatives may be a better fit and release narratives that aren’t aligned with your life and values. We watch for and celebrate your own expertise in life, we find the often-ignored exceptions to negative and problem-saturated narratives, and we find alternative meanings and stories to make sense of life’s journey and transform its outlook. In the process, we’ll shift the spotlight away from the peripheral noise so that your wisdom and lived experience can shine through – and I’m happy to copilot that journey with you!

Life Path & Big Picture: Using assessments and activities, this builds on what we just talked about but takes it a step further – drawing from the wisdom of career counseling (it’s cooler than you think!) we’ll look at your passions, values, skills, interests, and all-around context to name tangible possibilities and goals to bring to fruition a life you absolutely LOVE. You’re way more than just what your grade school teachers praised or invalidated or your family or culture told you to like or value, and getting to explore all of this with fresh eyes and an enthusiastic supporter can be transformative – not just for career planning, but for life itself!

Somatic Experiencing: You are not a floating head! Sometimes, though, it can feel like it. The thing is, though, that we experience life with more than just our minds and our vast and complex vocabulary. Sorrow and elation, and everything in between, are felt by all five senses (sometimes six) and throughout the body. When we stay in the verbal sphere, crucial pieces get left behind and tender places don’t have all the ingredients to heal. Somatic Experiencing (SE) helps connect all facets of a memory, belief, response pattern, feeling, or action. Somatic Experiencing helps us show up more fully to life and help chapters of trauma find closure so we can move forward. It helps us become mindful of and explore how our individual bodies, minds, and nervous systems react to what’s around us and the sensations and feelings within us. This is way more than asking “how does that feel?” or “where do you notice that in your body?” I promise.

Attachment-Based & Emotionally Focused Therapies: There isn’t a person alive who these can’t apply to. From the time we’re babies, we are constantly taking in information that tells us how to ask for what we need, who and what is safe and supportive or dangerous and unpredictable, and whether and how we can relax and find a sense of calm after high alert. Somatic Experiencing (above) helps us be more self-aware, while attachment-related work and the exploration of relational and communication patterns (some of which can look like a cycle that repeats itself) is the other piece of this. We’ll explore the earlier emotional injuries you may have experienced and the response patterns that you and/or loved ones revisit, thematically, no matter the argument or tender spot du jour. We’ll explore gentle yet thoughtful changes in ways that support growth and healthy ways to do things differently. In couples and family therapy, and in individual therapy when exploring your relationships, we’ll get curious about and explore how tensions show up, escalate, and de-escalate as well.

Skills & Strategies: I saved this one for last because, while it’s important, skill and strategy work on their own aren’t therapy. However, when added to deeper or bigger-picture growth, they can be hugely impactful. Think about rock climbing, rafting, crafting, gardening: you need gear to actually *do* it and you’ll spend your time and effort a lot more wisely and effectively if you’ve got some blueprints from those who’ve toiled before you. I draw from a variety of bodies of wisdom including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), the skills and activities suggested by Gottman couples therapy, Eastern and Western Spiritualities and mindfulness practices, and creative approaches. Of course, some of the best insight in this arena comes from what we discussed at the beginning of this section: your own existing wisdom and life experiences. Sometimes, you just need someone to spot a success you’ve had, hold space for what worked, and invite you to pack it in the toolbox along with the new skills and strategies you’re picking up!