Areas of Special Interest

Trauma

Our brains are built to process experiences in a way that make us better off for having had that experience. However, many different factors come into play as we make sense of our experiences, and sometimes this doesn’t happen. Instead, we are left carrying a negative experience into our present-day lives. When triggered, we may experience intrusive memories, undesired physical reactions, upsetting emotional reactions. 

This is where a specialized therapy, popularly called EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can be very helpful. This therapy is used in conjunction with other therapy tools so that you are supported throughout the process of integrating the changes into your life and your current relationships.

Depression

While situational depression may clear on its own, clinical depression feels out of alignment with the life around you. While depression has well-defined symptoms, it presents itself differently in each person and affects each person’s life differently.  We work with clients to understand exactly where they are and to move them toward a more joyful experience and sense of self.
 

While we do not prescribe medication, we are able to make referrals for medication consultation when needed.

Anxiety

Anxiety can zap your zest for life.  It is exhausting.  Anxiety is not the same for everyone and can show itself in many different forms.  It can take on many forms from social anxieties, panic attacks, dissociation, depersonalization, defensiveness, and anger problems.  It can run in families, result from trauma, or can just be a result of a current life situation.

We help clients identify and address the nature of their anxiety and help provide new coping methods, changes in thought patterns, and improved life management skills.

Grief

While grief is commonly associated with the death of a loved one, grief can come from many situations, including divorce, job loss, health changes, loss of a friend, or the loss of safety after trauma. Sometimes, we have difficulty moving through grief.  This is called complicated grief, and therapy can help by supporting you through the process and helping to identify areas where you are “stuck” so that those areas can be worked through to allow for healing. 

​

There are many faces of grief. We all have to find our own way of coping, and the goal is not to “get over it.” You are not alone. We help clients remember the joy of those lost experiences and incorporate that joy in their lives as they move forward.

Adjusting to Changes

From time to time, we all face big and small transitions. Even ones we expect or look forward to—like getting married or having a baby—may feel disruptive or bring on negative feelings we had never anticipated.

Typically therapy in these situations is fairly short term. Yet, in some cases, it may be that deeper issues are creating the difficulty adjusting.  Everyone’s situation is different, and your situation will be met with openness to whatever presents itself.

LGBTQIA+ Issues

People who identify as LGBTQIA+, as well as the people who love and support them, may face difficulties accepting themselves or being accepted by others.  Many families never anticipated having to cope with these issues and are struggling to make sense of the changes in their lives.

We create a welcoming, safe space for LGBTQIA+ individuals, couples and families to navigate their unique situations related to sexuality and acceptance.

Religious / Cultural Diversity

We have been honored to have learned from and worked with clients of diverse religious and cultural contexts. These include the many denominations of Christianity (including Catholics, Seventh-Day Adventists, Mormons, Episcopalians, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and more), Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Having worked with first- and second-generation individuals and families, we appreciate their unique experiences living in the United States.

Addiction / Codependency

Individuals who are close to addiction and substance abuse may face deep feelings of sorrow, resentment, and confusion about what their role is and is not. Many times, people feel responsible for and desperate to help someone they cannot seem to help, all the while losing a sense of themselves and their self-worth.

Having worked for treatment centers dedicated to substance abuse disorders, we understand how emotionally deflating these struggles can be. We help clients diminish the resentment and increase joy by helping them establish healthy boundaries, recognize the importance of self-care, and identify unhealthy thought patterns.