What happens to you affects you.

How you respond changes everything.

Resilience

Fostering Change &  Resilience

I have been trained in various forms of therapy and interventions, and I continue to use elements of most of them, primarily psychodynamic psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). These are important for gaining insight and understanding how we come to live out a storyline if the story we tell ourselves is left unexamined. However, I have come to rely mainly on a combination of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) to catalyze change in the lives of my clients. Both EMDR and IFS are effective in addressing a variety of issues, such as resolving trauma, managing anxiety and depression, addressing phobias and OCD, dealing with sleep disorders, addressing co-dependency, and recovering from abuse, among other things. Treatment is tailored to facilitate change and resilience. 

Connect

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy views individuals as a collection of different parts that all work together. These parts have their own thoughts, feelings, and motivations, which are shaped by past experiences, relationships, and beliefs. Sometimes, these parts can become extreme under duress, leading to disruptions in psychological processes. Overworking, over-reacting, or numbing out are examples of extreme part reactions. IFS therapy aims to help individuals recognize, understand, and integrate these parts, with the goal of unifying them under the guidance of their core Self. By integrating the different parts of oneself, individuals can increase self-awareness and strengthen their relationship with their inner Self, leading to a sense of wholeness and deeper ease.

IFS therapy can help individuals develop essential skills such as self-compassion, emotional regulation, and communication skills. By fostering these skills, individuals can enhance their personal growth.

Want to know more about IFS therapy?

Restore

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a type of counseling that helps people deal with difficult memories. It's based on the idea that upsetting events can get "stuck" in the brain and cause problems like flashbacks, anxiety, and sadness.

During EMDR sessions, a counselor helps the person think about the upsetting event while focusing on something like eye movements or sounds. This is meant to help the person get used to the memory and make it less upsetting. The goal is to help the person develop new ways of thinking and behaving about the upsetting event.

EMDR has been shown to help with different mental health issues, like PTSD, anxiety, sadness, and grief. It usually involves 8-12 sessions, but it might take longer for people with a more complex history.

Want to know more about EMDR therapy?

The course of treatment:

Initial Call

Initial calls are to determine if we are a good fit. They generally last about 15 minutes. If my practice is a good fit for us both, I will mail you the initial paperwork, which will also involve some self-reported diagnostic assessments. 

1.

Initial intake Session

The initial intake session is 100 minutes long. It involves reviewing the paperwork, using basic assessment tools, and taking a personal and family history. In this session, we set goals and plan treatment.

2.

Follow up sessions

New clients meet with me weekly for at least 8 weeks. This builds rapport and trust and allows for a safe alliance, which is essential for this work. Once symptoms lessen, we can reduce the frequency until your goals have been met.

3.

Closure

As symptoms feel resolved, we plan to conclude treatment. We review what was helpful and discuss resources to help you maintain gains after treatment concludes. 

4.

FAQs

  • IFS and EMDR are both supported by empirical evidence.

  • IFS therapy helps people deal with parts of their mind causing trauma. It creates safe connections with these parts, freeing up energy from defense mechanisms. EMDR helps reprocess traumatic memories using bilateral stimuli. It deactivates distressing experiences, so you still remember what happened, but it's no longer overwhelming. Both interventions work well and compliment each other in treatment.

  • The decision regarding which intervention to choose is made during the intake process. Sometimes, people specifically request EMDR or IFS as they have heard about these interventions and believe they are a good fit for them. In some cases, IFS is used to support the EMDR treatment process.

  • IFS and EMDR can be used in a powerful combination for addressing trauma and other mental health concerns. Following IFS, EMDR therapy can be used to desensitize traumatic memories and reduce the distress associated with them.