Frequently Asked Questions

Where does emotional pain come from?

Relationships are an integral part of our life story, giving us joy, purpose, and strength. They provide us with nourishment, love, and hope and comfort us in times of distress. The bonds we form in our early lives influence the manner in which we regard ourselves, interact with other people, and engage in the world around us. 

From the moment we enter the world, we instinctively reach out for a caregiver’s nourishing and protective embrace; we are born dependent. There is nothing shameful in this dependence; it is evolutionarily necessary. Our brain is hardwired to seek out friendships, emotional bonds, and physical intimacy. This developmental process forms the basis of how we learn to trust and teaches us how to love others profoundly while acknowledging our own ability to be profoundly loved. 

Low-self esteem, anxiety, depression, and trauma can all be connected to our relationship style. Even genetic precursors and transgenerational issues are the result of our connection to others, so it is important to understand how our relationships can affect us both negatively and beneficially. 

How Can Therapy Help?

I use evidence-based and trauma-informed approaches and work relationally and somatically using a range of techniques, including CBT and DBT, mindfulness, self-awareness, body awareness, EMDR, as well as Focusing and Emotionally Focused Therapy. In our work together, I support you in noticing how you utilize your relational skills to ask for what you want, take responsibility for actions, notice and express yourself in various emotional states, and assert or dismiss yourself. I can help you navigate challenging life transitions—relationship and career changes, loss, relocation, co-parenting and family issues—in addition to depression, anxiety, social competency challenges, trauma, addictive behavior, sexuality, existential angst and identity, and feeling powerless in an uncertain future. 

Building a rapport of empathy, trust, and connection with my clients is foundational in the client-therapist relationship; it allows them to feel safe and secure enough to talk openly about themselves and the obstacles they face. This security enables my clients to have difficult conversations, identify the true source of their suffering, and make smooth transitions that allow them to grow as a person. Because everyone deals with challenges differently, I also strive to be flexible and think outside of the box so that we can adjust sessions or strategies according to the unique needs and desires of each individual. 

My approach to therapy is heart-centered and emphasizes the powerful role the body plays in how we perceive and deal with stress, difficult transitions, and mental health concerns. Among my professional trainings is Hakomi Body-Centered Therapy—a form of Somatic Psychotherapy that integrates aspects of spirituality, creativity, mindfulness, non-violence, and compassion. Somatic work involves tracking the nervous system, generating greater bodily awareness, and developing a conscious relationship with oneself. It helps to identify, understand, and question the automated physical responses to stressors and triggers. In that regard, one of my goals is to help clients listen to and decode often overlooked bodily sensations that may be trying to communicate something. Awareness of these sensations is an important component in building self-regulation, mindfulness, and self-trust. 

What Does Therapy Look Like?

Depending on the situation, I may use elements of Internal Family Systems, or parts work, for examining the interpersonal dynamics of relationships and how different aspects of oneself frequently come into play. I also employ elements of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to help couples and individuals become aware of and understand how aspects of past relationships may be influencing current relationships. 

If applicable, I may use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to challenge flawed coping mechanisms, automated emotional responses, and distorted self-perceptions that may have been learned through or adopted from personal or relational experiences. I also offer EMDR Therapy and Somatic Experiencing to help individuals process trauma and step out of the reoccurring loops of fear, anger, and sadness.

Having trained in the Bay Area, one of the main US centers for the study of Somatic Psychology, I had the opportunity to work directly with some of the great minds that developed the discipline. Some of these practitioners include Stanely Keleman (creator of Formative Psychology), Bonnie Bridge Cohen (Body-Mind Centering), Marion Rosen (Rosen Work), Emily Conrad (Continuum Movement), Ron Kurtz (Hakomi Method), James Kepner (Gestalt Body Process Psychotherapy), Bill Bowen (Psycho-Physical Therapy), and many others who were and continue to be involved in Somatic Experiencing, Authentic Movement, and progressive body-oriented modalities.

Who Is The Therapist?

One of my goals as a therapist is to help clients improve their overall relational well-being. This means helping individuals gain awareness that will enable them to identify and understand any aspects of their past that may be influencing how and why they relate to others—and themselves—in the ways that they do. By becoming more conscious of how thoughts and emotions inform behaviors, we can interrupt harmful cycles of negative self-talk and self-sabotage that place limitations on your potential for happiness, love, and success. 

I feel fortunate to have the ability and the opportunity to help others improve their relationships and create better lives for themselves. When I’m not working, I enjoy music, writing, the outdoors, and yoga. 

As a life-long learner, I keep abreast of the latest research and developments in the field of psychotherapy and appreciate the growing field that looks beyond heteronormative ideas about sexuality, gender roles, and justice. However, it is my work with clients that gives me the greatest sense of reward and accomplishment. Each and every time a client shares their story with me, I am reminded of how blessed I am to accompany individual souls on this wild, challenging experience we call life and, hopefully, help them find greater peace and integration.