Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified IMAGO Relationship Therapist, MFT, and EMDR
Certified In EMDR trauma therapy in 1994 a preferred method by veterans, police, firefighters and medical teams around the world. Proven in research studies to Be brief ( often in just 3-12 sessions) and effective.
Trauma may be something horrific or something that you tell yourself "it wasn't so bad, others have it worse." We often make light of the things that hurt or scared us or made us feel less than, however, your struggles matter just as much as anyone else's. When trauma is severe, we develop patters that you might call "PTSD"- patterns of fear, hopelessness, constantly being on edge, having to avoid so many things. Trauma is stored in our bodies and our bodies remember. But there is hope and help is available. Therapies like EMDR (which I am fully certified in) heal both the body and mind. Adding in other treatments like polyvagal based exercises or mindfulness can go even further. I have been through it myself and I know that transformation is possible.
I enjoy helping clients accept and like themselves, organize around strengths, achieve greater emotional presence, think clearly, and let go of shame, guilt and old habits of emotional survival. I believe therapy should lead to better decisions, as well as improved quality of life and relationships.
The links between trauma and achievement spotlight the success stories of people who've endured difficult pasts. Through resilience and resourcefulness, some persevered and found success as an outlet for improving self-esteem. How else could you have filled the void of highly critical, emotionally unavailable parents? The trouble is that success may be tough to integrate and truly celebrate as your own, no matter how impressive your resume gets. Fortunately, recovery from trauma is very possible and with time, can foster post-traumatic growth which leads to a more fulfilling life and meaningful relationships. My clinical approach includes Internal Family Systems which explores how different parts of you protect and serve you. Trauma-Focused CBT also helps unravel core-beliefs that may complicate your relationship with yourself, your ability to trust others, or see the world as a safe place.
Something bad happens, nothing good follows, and everyone pretends it's okay. This simple series of events can lead to lasting emotional and physical symptoms. Sometimes the symptoms make us feel crazy. Let me assure you, you are not crazy and you are not alone. I am trained in a trauma treatment technique called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), that can allow for integration of traumatic memories into one's healthy and coherent narrative. I would be honored to provide you a safe space to work through the painful experiences that just won't seem to go away.
Trauma is an experience that can impact nearly every aspect of someone's life, from relationships/trust, to work, to self-esteem, to mood and the list goes on. Finding someone who specializes in trauma/PTSD is essential to truly getting the help you need. I offer the gold standard treatments for PTSD (e.g. Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure), as well as treatments like EMDR and STAIR. Building a strong relationship is the first step to help you on your journey to re-engaging in the life you want to lead. I will then help you process your trauma, understand triggers, and develop new coping strategies for managing.
I haven't met a client who couldn't benefit from some degree of healing from trauma, whether relational, developmental, systemic, big T, complex trauma, PTSD... we all carry trauma in varying degrees until we're able to integrate it. My work is trauma informed, with a foundation in somatic psychotherapy which is needed for lasting results - trauma impacts the body as well as the brain. If you ignore the body in therapy the thoughts and emotions may improve for a time, but the patterns of constriction that impact the body will remain and sooner or later the distressing thoughts and emotions will return. I also draw on EMDR, neurobiology, energy psychology, self-compassion, mindfulness and other modalities. My work is compassionate yet direct and results driven.
My clinical experience with trauma includes a specialization in graduate school of Psychological Trauma Studies and a completion of training of Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). Being trauma-informed has significantly informed how I practice therapy. Together we can practice coping skills, help with nervous system regulation, distress tolerance, improve your relationship with others and yourself.
I work relationally and somatically using a parts-work approach and mindfulness in order to create the safety your system needs in order to resolve the energetic impact of the trauma.
31 Years Experience
