SERVICES
I offer therapy and counseling for individual adults, teens, and children.
Individual Therapy
Individual adult therapy can be useful when you want to make a change in your life or better understand how and why you operate the way you do. If you are going through a life transition, have a conflictual relationship or have emotions that don’t seem to be resolving on their own, I will work with you to process your feelings and experiences. I will help you identify your goals, develop healthy coping skills, and work towards resolution and peace. I offer individual therapy that is insight oriented, client focused, and structured in a way that will help you make the most of your time and energy.
Identity, independence, sexuality, experimentation and peer relationships are a few of the many issues that young people often confront in their teenage years. Navigating adolescence can be tough for both teens and their families. I offer a safe space where teens can work through their challenges, address uncomfortable feelings such as stress, anger, sadness, peer pressure, lack of self-confidence or motivation, isolation or loneliness, and develop healthy coping mechanisms. After I assess the teen, I utilize a combination of therapeutic interventions that will fit the individual’s needs and personality. Most of the therapeutic time will be spent working with the teen but parental involvement in the therapeutic process will aid the success of treatment.
Teen Counseling
Child Therapy
I offer play-based therapy with children. Children express their emotions differently from adults and benefit from having a safe and active environment where they can explore and re-enact their feelings. Children naturally gravitate towards fun and toys and by providing different activities, games and props, I help children identify and process their feelings, as it relates to their situation (trauma, parental separation/divorce, anxiety, depression, challenges with peers or school). I then help the child develop positive and healthy ways to get their needs met. Parental involvement is key in child therapy.
I specialize in perinatal mental health. Pregnancy and the post-partum period can be a very exciting time but it can also be a time of extreme hardship on the mother, partner and rest of the family. I create a calm and attentive space where mothers can process the emotions that accompany parenthood. We address symptoms of concern and identify coping strategies to achieve symptom relief. If a client has yet to give birth, much of our work together is focused on post-partum planning, addressing any current mental health concerns, and getting emotionally prepared for having a new baby. I also work with clients who have experienced pregnancy loss and birth trauma.
Perinatal Mental Health
I also offer consultation in the areas of adoption, premarital counseling and planning for successful aging.
I offer pre-adoption counseling to individuals, couples, and their support people, who are interested in exploring how adoption might fit into their lives. As an adopted person myself, I am familiar with the adoption triad which includes the adopted person, adoptive parent(s) and first/birthparents. Both my personal and professional experience with adoption has given me extensive insight about the intricacies of adoption. During our consultation, I will help you understand the different types of adoption and explore some of the emotional challenges that might arise on the adoption journey. My goal is to help you determine if adoption is the right path for you and to be a resource for you as you contemplate your desire and ability to provide a safe, loving and emotionally prepared home for a child.
Adoption
Getting married is exciting. At the same time, making a lifelong commitment is complex with many different priorities and ideas about what constitutes a happy and successful marriage. I offer premarital counseling as a way for couples to purposefully and thoughtfully explore some of these complexities. Topics addressed include shared goals, starting a family, sexual intimacy, finances, parenting, gender roles, division of household tasks, love languages, religion, extended family and any other areas of interest as determined by each couple. Our time together will be insightful and engaging and a safe space to work through any areas of concern or worry.
Secular Premarital Counseling
Aging Successfully
During my time as a medical social worker, I met with patients and their families during a medical crisis and hospitalization. They often expressed feelings of unpreparedness and uncertainty. During our consultation, I will assess your situation, including an evaluation of lifestyle and ideas about aging well. I will provide an individualized checklist to help you create a plan of action. The checklist includes, among other things, completing an Advanced Health Directive and Living Trust, finding caregivers or assisted living, or discussing goals of care. Our consultation is a space for exploration, action if needed, and a way to reduce the feelings of being stressed and overwhelmed.