My Approach
I see therapy as a collaborative process of getting to know yourself more deeply, making sense of your experiences, and beginning to loosen the patterns of stories that may no longer be serving you. My role is the understand what life feels like from your perspective and work with you to explore what may be contributing to distress, feeling stuck, or repeating certain dynamics.
Because therapy is not one-size-fits all, I tailor my approach to each client and draw from a range of modalities depending on your needs, goals, and what feels most supportive along the way. Some of the approaches I may incorporate into our work are described below:
Therapy with me is conversational and active. You might hear me ask:
“Does this pattern show up anywhere else?”
“Where do you think that belief about yourself came from?”
“What do you think is getting in the way?”, or
“What would feel more in line with the person you want to be?”
At other times, we might shift toward something more practical:
“Let’s come up with something concrete you can try the next time this happens.”
“What do you think you needed in that moment?”
CBT
CBT is an evidence-based approach that can help us understand how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influence one another. In our work together, I may incorporate CBT to teach concrete coping skills that you can use in between sessions. We may practice these together in session and build on them over time to help you feel more equipped to respond to difficult thoughts, feelings, and situations in daily life.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
ACT
ACT is a research-informed approach that helps you respond to difficult thoughts and feelings with more flexibility and less struggle. Through ACT, we will focus on identifying what matters most to you and finding ways to keep moving toward it, even when self-doubt, anxiety, or old patterns show up. Rather than trying to get rid of discomfort, ACT helps you relate to it differently so it has less pull.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Psychodynamic
Psychodynamic therapy focuses on understanding the deeper roots of what you are experiencing now. Together, we may look at recurring patterns, earlier experiences, relationships, and parts of yourself that may sit outside of immediate awareness. We may also explore how old ways of understanding yourself or others continue to shape your reactions, choices, and relationships today. Developing greater insight into these patterns can help you respond with more flexibility and make changes that feel more intentional.
Insight Oriented Therapy
Attachment Based
Attachment-based and relational approaches look at how early experiences and important relationships can shape the way we understand ourselves and connect with others. We may explore patterns around trust, closeness, vulnerability, boundaries, and emotional safety, as well as the ways those patterns continue to show up in current relationships. I also pay attention to what emerges in the therapy relationship itself, since it can offer useful insight into how you relate, protect yourself, and connect with others.
Attachment Based / Relational Therapy
Play Therapy
Children often communicate through play before they have the words to explain what they are feeling. Play therapy gives them a developmentally appropriate way to express emotions, process experiences, work through worries or conflicts, and build coping, problem-solving, and emotional regulation skills. Depending on the child, I may use toys, games, art, storytelling, or other creative activities to help them feel more comfortable and engaged in the work. I also look closely at the themes that emerge in play and use them to better understand what the child may be communicating or struggling with.
Therapeutic Play
Parenting Support
Parenting can bring up strong emotions, uncertainty, and patterns we may not have expected. I work with parents to better understand what may be behind a child’s behavior, strengthen connection, set boundaries, and respond to difficult moments in ways that feel more intentional and effective. We may also look at how your own experiences, expectations, or stress responses shape the way you parent, while building practical strategies that fit your child and family. As a parent myself, I understand how hard it can be to watch your child struggle and not always know the best way to help.
Parent Guidance and Support
TF-CBT
TF-CBT is a structured, evidence-based approach developed for children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. Depending on the client, I may use the full model or draw from specific elements of it, such as coping skills, emotional regulation, gradual processing of difficult experiences, and trauma-focused psychoeducation. Some of these strategies may also inform my work with adult clients when appropriate.
Trauma-Informed CBT
Creative Art and Bibliotherapy
Creative approaches can offer another way to explore thoughts, feelings, and experiences when words alone do not feel like enough. Depending on the client, I may incorporate art, writing, music, books, or storytelling to support self-expression, insight, and emotional processing. I also have a longstanding interest in bibliotherapy and have co-authored published work using books and stories as therapeutic tools.
Art Based and Expressive Interventions
Holistic Care
Mental health does not exist in isolation. Sleep, physical health, hormones, nutrition, movement, stress, and environmental factors can all influence how we feel emotionally. When relevant, I may help you consider these broader influences as part of understanding what you’re experiencing. If something seems worth exploring further, I may also encourage you to connect with a physician or other appropriate provider who can evaluate areas outside of my scope.
Whole Person Support
Collaborative Care
With your permission, I may collaborate with psychiatrists, physicians, school professionals, or other providers involved in your care. Working together can help ensure that we are considering the full picture, including medical, biological, medication-related, academic, or environmental factors that may be affecting how you feel. My hope is to help create a connected circle of support, with everyone working together toward your wellbeing.
Coordination with Providers