In individual therapy, I can work with you on a wide range of issues including feelings of sadness or isolation, depression, anxiety, stress management; friendship, relationship or work issues, family conflict or distance and problems with substance use and abuse. Additionally, many of my clients find it is helpful to examine their beliefs about more existential issues in order to help them manage their emotions better: your beliefs about the nature of suffering and pain, how to determine what is most important to you in your life and how to construct a life of purpose, meaning and joy.
Depression and Anxiety
Research has provided significant evidence that depression can be improved or even eliminated with a wide range of interventions. Although many believe that the “gold standard” treatment for depression is medication and talk therapy, I believe that the least intrusive intervention should be targeted first. Try talking to a therapist before getting medication prescribed. I will help you examine how you’re thinking about the problem may be actually supporting your depression, how your relationships may be contributing to your sense of sadness and frustration and how you can begin to make concrete behavioral changes to begin the path to recovery. Recent studies show that medication is most effective for individuals with severe depression only. I will always refer clients who don’t experience significant symptom relief to qualified and trusted psychiatrists for medication consideration or management.
Adolescents and Young Adults
I have a special passion for working with young people! Although the general public often describes teenagers as “crazy,” I firmly believe they are some of the most interesting people on earth. However, when I work with teens, I expect parents to be involved in the process. Taking a systems view of relationships means realizing that how each of us behaves in our own nuclear family has a significant impact on the other members in that family. Often our children, and especially teens, are the barometer of the family and any disruption in their functioning is often tied up with our (the parents) own emotional reactions to life’s challenges and transitions. Helping adolescents and their families get through some of the challenges of this stage of life is one of my favorite assignments.
Negotiating the next phase of life, young or “emerging” adulthood, has become an extended process according to those who research the age group. The milestone demands of higher education, establishing a career, taking responsibility for self both emotionally and financially, forming important relationships romantically and with friends, and parents who struggle with how much to be involved in their adult children’s lives are some of the concerns during this transition period. If you are a parent struggling with helping a young person to “launch” or a young person challenged with moving forward in your own life, therapy can help you identify the steps you can take to further this process.
Women’s Issues
Women’s issues and women’s health have both been a priority for me in my life and in my practice. A wide range of issues pertain primarily to women: body image, eating disorders, domestic violence, reproductive issues, the impact of the media on women, balancing career and home life and the need to be “perfect” are just a few. Even though women have made significant gains in the past fifty years, discrimination and economic factors often work beneath the surface to limit women in both their professional and personal lives. Helping women of all ages find their true voice in their family, career and friendships is one of my primary interests.
A Mindful Approach
Mindfulness practices are often incorporated directly into my therapy sessions to help clients increase their ability to be open and present to whatever arises in the moment in order to improve their abilities to be less emotionally reactive and increase their capacity for self-compassion and reflection. Mindful psychotherapy helps to access that space between stimulus and response in order to increase our awareness that we have a choice in how we respond, both emotionally and behaviorally, to regain a sense of self-control. Ultimately we begin breaking free from habits that are no longer productive and open up to a life that is thoughtfully chosen.
