My Treatment Style

My approach to psychotherapy is best described as humanistic and eclectic.  A humanistic perspective means that I see each client as an individual and complex human being with all the needs, fears, and longings that we all feel.   I see myself as a guide with training and experience and I see my clients as the experts with regard to their own lives. Through my questioning, comments, and observations, and their expertise with regard to their experience, we work as a team to achieve their goals.  My eclectic approach means that I offer guidance and care from a variety of perspectives and disciplines including cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy and mind-body techniques which include mindfulness and self-compassion.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This approach is very useful in providing tools and strategies to interrupt negative thought patterns and behaviors.  Cognitive therapy includes looking at one‘s internal dialogue, seeing where thought patterns may be self-defeating, and shifting these patterns to more optimal and self-nurturing ways of thinking.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

This treatment is a cognitive-behavioral approach that emphasizes the psycho-social aspects of treatment. The theory behind the approach is that some people are prone to react in a more intense and out-of-the-ordinary manner toward certain emotional situations, primarily those found in romantic, family and friend relationships. DBT theory suggests that some people’s arousal levels in such situations can increase far more quickly than the average person’s, attain a higher level of emotional stimulation, and take a significant amount of time to return to baseline arousal levels.

Psychodynamic Therapy

This approach looks at how early experiences affect current feelings about oneself (e.g., self-esteem) and current relationships.  Oftentimes when a client feels caught in repetitive thought and behavioral patterns that do not facilitate growth and joy, it is useful to explore how she/he has made sense of early life experiences.

Mindfulness and Self-Compassion

Mindfulness refers to the capacity to be aware, in a non-judgmental way, of present experience.  This awareness facilitates many skills, such as noticing subtle physical changes that precede shifting emotional states, enabling improved coping with these emotions.  The flexible shifting of attention is another important skill based on being aware in the present moment.  Mindful awareness is also the scaffolding for self-compassion.  Self-compassion is the capacity to "tend and befriend" our emotional difficulties, tolerate (with self-kindness) our full range of emotions and experiences, and take comfort in our common humanity.