Young Adults

Young adulthood is very important but also one of the most challenging times of life. It’s when you are figuring out your identity and continuing the process of separating from your family. We will work together to figure out what you would like to keep from your family, what needs to be repaired, and what needs to be changed. Working on yourself during this time can be very powerful because it impacts your close relationships and the choices you make in family, career, and your personal life. Therapy will provide you the space needed to figure all of these things out and empower you to make healthy choices.

LGBTQ+ Clients

Anxiety, depression, grief, and relationship problems are concerns that each and every one of us grapples with. However, for members of the LGBTQ+ community it is against the backdrop of social stigma, discrimination, and marginlization. These factors can be traumatizing as you are figuring out your identity. I believe that together we must create open communication, trust and safety. This is particularly important so that we can best help you optimize your life in spite of these ongoing stressors.

Depression

Depression is more than just sadness. It really can get in the way of living your life and is not something you can just pull yourself out of. However, depression can also be a wake up call that something is unresolved or is not working in your life. As such depression can mobilize us to do the work in therapy to make these changes. We will focus on helping you to identify and use more effective coping mechanisms to help you overcome and prevent future relapse of your depression. In addition, we will identify some of the factors that caused your depression in the first place and figure out what adjustments need to be made. While I mainly work in a relational style we will also identify ways to change your behaviors to get immediate relief for your symptoms. Finally, if needed, I will connect you with a psychiatrist if medication is warranted and we will work closely to help you feel your best.

Anxiety

Anxiety can be tricky and here is why. It can sometimes be what I call “a garbage can emotion.” What I mean by this is that often we throw a lot of different feelings such as sadness, anger, and loneliness into the “anxiety wastebasket” and anxiety becomes the “go to” emotion for all of these different feelings that may, on their own, feel unacceptable to you. In dealing with anxiety, first we will focus on providing you with relief as quickly as possible by drawing on behavioral and cognitive techniques. Then as you progress we will focus on teaching you to identify, acknowledge, and manage your feelings more effectively so they don’t all get thrown into the “anxiety garbage can.”

Sexual Assault and Trauma

At some point in our lives we all will experience sickness, loss, grief, or a profound loss of safety. For those who have experienced childhood trauma we will work on ways to help you not carry this trauma forward into your adult relationships. It is very important to help you understand that just because you have experienced trauma you are not somehow profoundly different from other people.

I think of trauma as part of being alive and being human, this differs from the conventional idea that trauma is somehow “outside the realm of normal human experience.” Our work together will create a new experience of safety and honesty where you can learn to trust others but also learn how to create a sense of safety and security for your adult self.