Practice Description

Children and Adolescents
When children or adolescents come to me for help to reduce anxiety or depression, our common goals will be to develop skills to understand and take charge of their emotions from a developmental perspective. For children who express themselves through play, we may use play therapy to help identify and manage feelings. For adolescents who are grappling with social pressures and moving into adulthood, the process of exploring the connection between beliefs, feelings and how these affect their behaviors provides insight and tools to reduce stress, improve relationships and manage emotions and behaviors. With both children and adolescents, I work with the whole family to develop safeguards against further depression and anxiety, and build skills to assist with lifelong resilience.

My passion for working with children and adolescents with ADHD and learning disorders comes from my belief that the earlier a family can build support and develop skills to help each other, the more successful the child will be. Like a mobile with interconnected parts, ADHD affects all members - each person needs support, skills and understanding. My personal experience as a mother of a son with ADHD has kept me humble and mindful that raising an ADHD child cannot be done in isolation. Successful collaboration with schools, other treatment providers and support from family and friends are essential pieces to this puzzle. For the child or adolescent, I can assist in developing executive functioning skills, social skills and stress inoculation skills. I will help them discover the places in their lives where they are successful and shine. Parenting an ADHD child is not a 5K sprint - it is a marathon. I will help parents provide greater organization and structure than what is needed in a typical family - for both the child's success and their needed respite. I coach parents on specific parenting skills, effective school advocacy and help them identify other adjunct services such as educational testing, tutors, speech therapy, biofeedback or social skills groups.

Adults
Individual adults see me for a variety of reasons including a desire to succeed in relationships or cope with anxiety and depression. Difficult life transitions such as parenting, divorce or loss can motivate one to seek therapy. My goal as the therapist is to assist clients to develop a powerful sense of self and a nurturing support system so that events in life are met with resilience and wisdom. I work with clients to identify emotions and thought processes that cause anxiety or depression. By using mindful thinking and breath work, individuals better manage their emotions thereby responding instead of reacting to life situations.

Couples
I believe that we all look to our partners for emotional connection and feel satisfied in our relationships when these needs are being met. In therapy, I commonly address issues of trust and intimacy, and help each partner move toward a deeper understanding of each other that is marked by love, respect and mutual connection. Each person brings into a relationship their past experiences that may support or sabotage attempts at emotional closeness. Understanding how and why your partner handles conflict and intimacy can revitalize a strained marriage and help a dating couple transition into a stable long-term relationship. Moving through conflict around finances, parenting or sexuality are addressed within the lens of emotional connection to bring about deeper understanding and lasting change.