Individuals:

I have experience working with individuals from a variety of cultures/ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, and religious beliefs, as well as LGBTQIA+. I have a special interest in helping people experiencing problems resulting from grief/loss, anxiety, depression, trauma, shame, self-esteem/self-concept, chronic illness, suicidal ideation, self-harm, or substance use.

Kids:

I enjoy engaging children in play therapy. I meet children where they are at developmentally and support them to develop coping skills and trusting communication.

Teens:

It is an honor for me to support teens in their personal growth and help them to manage the difficult transitions that occur during this stage of life. I have experience connecting with teens and building strong therapeutic relationships that lead to improved wellness.

Adults:

My hope is to support adults in their continued growth and development throughout their life span. I help adults to process what has happened in their past and empower them to build resiliency and self-confidence.

Elder Adults:

Concerns in later life often compound as a person experiences frequent significant losses and increased isolation. As well, a person may have to manage their own or loved ones’ chronic illnesses, including Alzheimer’s/dementia. I am grateful for the opportunity to support people through these difficult experiences.

Couples:

I have experience working with couples from a variety of cultures/ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, and religious beliefs, as well as LGBTQIA+ couples. I have a special interest in helping couples experiencing problems resulting from infidelity, separation/divorce, infertility and pregnancy, and the impacts of sexual trauma, chronic illness including Alzheimer’s/dementia, suicidal ideation, or substance use on the couple.

Families:

I have experience working with families from a variety of cultures/ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, and religious beliefs, as well as LGBTQIA+ families. I have a special interest in helping families experiencing problems resulting from separation/divorce, co-parenting, blending families, infertility and pregnancy, and the impacts of sexual trauma, chronic illness including Alzheimer’s/dementia, suicidal ideation, or substance use on the family.

Substance Use:

Substance use can have many negative effects, including conflicts with family and friends, legal concerns, physical and mental health impacts, and lack of development of other coping or stress management skills. Substance use problems can affect everyone, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, or family environment. I help people to identify alternative coping skills, as well as understand triggers, and develop relapse prevention strategies. I have experience working to promote harm reduction in clients’ lives and assist them in achieving their own goals regarding substance use.

Relapse Prevention Group:

I offer relapse prevention psychoeducation groups that educate clients on Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS), warning signs and triggers, the relapse progression, relapse and its effect on the brain, effects of drugs/alcohol on the body, addiction and the family, communication in recovery, stress management, time management, goal setting, nutrition, and tobacco cessation. The group is offered as a substance use disorder outpatient group in keeping with the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) I.0 level of care and meets requirements of most legal or DCYFS concerns. If you are interested in joining this group, please let me know.

Loved Ones of Substance Users:

When someone we love is abusing or has become dependent on substances, it can be frightening, hurtful, lonely, and angering. This can result in feelings of hopelessness, powerlessness, shame, and blame, which in turn may lead to increased conflict and cutoff in the relationship with the using loved one. I seek to support the loved one impacted by another’s use through the approach of Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT). This empowers loved ones to effect positive relationship changes that can influence the substance user to seek treatment. This creates a shift to reducing conflict and improving the relationship with the substance user. In this way, healthy changes are not dependent on the substance user and you can attend sessions on your own, or with anyone else in your family who is ready for change. The substance user does not need to be ready to seek treatment in order for you to start getting help.

DBT Skills Group:

Dialectical Behavior Therapy is an evidenced based practice that brings together our emotional experience and logical reasoning for a wise-minded perspective. This group focuses on helping clients to develop and practice applying coping skills for emotional overwhelm and effective communication. The four main categories of skills include 1) mindfulness, which helps people to stay present in their experience and accept the reality of situations, 2) distress tolerance, which helps people to withstand negative emotions and reduce reactivity, 3) emotional regulation, which helps people to manage and change intense emotions that may be causing problems, and 4) interpersonal effectiveness, which helps people to assertively communicate and strengthen relationships. If you are interested in joining this group, please let me know.