Psychotherapy Services

I assist individuals with many types of problems, including:

• Depression
• Anxiety and stress
• Loneliness
• Panic and phobias
• Religious/spiritual concerns
• Relationship issues
• Sexual concerns, including past abuse
• Divorce recovery
• Stress management
• Loss and grief
• Coping with life-changing accidents, illness, and disabilities
• Mid-life challenges, retirement, aging, and life purpose

What to Expect in Psychotherapy

My Approach:

Psychotherapy is the art and science of human change.  For psychotherapy to work, it is essential that you feel welcome, safe, heard and understood -- not judged or criticized.  My task is to be attentive to your concerns and guide you toward greater understanding of your own patterns of thinking, feeling and acting.  At times this is challenging. The greater aim is to make sense of who you are and how you can grow into a fuller awareness of yourself.  Genuine transformation arises from within; it is not imposed from outside.

I am not bound by particular theories or techniques.  I am trained in a variety  of  psychological modalities, including Jungian analysis, Gestalt, object relations, cognitive/behavioral, EMDR, among others.  My goal is to meet you where you are, not to impose  one particular therapeutic approach.  My  approach  to inner work accepts and values the spiritual, mysterious and unexplained aspects of our human experience,  as well as rational and goal-directed behaviors.   It puts no limits on the person you can become.

Trauma:

As we discuss various aspects of your life, we will be attentive to particularly difficult or traumatic experiences in your past.  Trauma can take many forms: physical or sexual abuse, illnesses and accidents, neglect or criticism.  If there is an inadequate healing environment, trauma tends to remain unresolved.  It resurfaces as fears and phobias, physical problems, unexplained over-reactions and feelings of mistrust or hopelessness.  There are various ways of providing new resources to resolve such issues.As we discover potential trauma, whether minor or major, I sometimes suggest that we try EMDR to uncover the roots of the experience and allow it to resolve naturally.  Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) was developed to resolve symptoms resulting from disturbing and unresolved life experiences. It uses a structured approach to address past, present, and future aspects of disturbing memories. EMDR was first developed in 1987 by Francine Shapiro.  Since then it has been recognized as an effective way to work with a variety of problems. I  am certified in this therapeutic technique.

Dreams and Imaginal Work:

Dreams can provide insight into our hidden motivations and deeply held concerns.  My training is extensive with regard to the work of  psychologist Carl Jung, who thought highly of dreams.  While appreciating the symbolic and archetypal aspects of dreams, I also see them as practical, providing a different and useful perspective on life issues.  Not everyone remembers dreams though everyone dreams each night.  Often during therapy, dreams become more vivid and compelling as your deeper self engages with life issues.  I sometimes suggest that you record your dreams  if  it seems like this might be helpful.  I also utilize active imagination, a Jungian form of meditation practice that helps undo dysfunctional habits and renew our creativity.