I am passionate and intentional about the work that I do. My goal is not just to reflect what you say to me, but to bring energy and participation in a warm but direct way.  Due to my authentic nature, I care about my client’s wellbeing. I find helping others is like the ripple effect, something that my clients then pass on to others. Before you know it, a stagnate source of water becomes filled with waves of change. That change is happier and healthier people. I use evidence-based interventions and use multiple methods mutually agreed upon. I find a “cookie cutter” approach does not work for most people. This allows us to have more flexibility in the work we do based on the circumstances/symptoms you are experiencing.

My expertise is in trauma-informed care. Most of my experience has focused on stabilization, regulation, reprocessing and reintegration of past trauma.  I help patients cope with current trauma/grief, safety planning, and management of anxiety/depression/PTSD symptoms, and safely leaving relationships that are interfering or abusive. I have experience working with (but not limited to) Mood Disorders (anxiety disorders, depression), Trauma-Stressor-Related Disorders, ADHD, grief/loss, attachment, relationship/familial issues, Intimate Partner Violence, and addiction.

I will use the terms survivor and victim interchangeably as it’s the individual that gets to choose how to identify this, not the provider. I have been honored to see how these terms transform during the work we do together. Clients learn to differentiate between a being a victim and having experienced a victimization. This helps empower clients to take control of their lives and to move past the trauma that they have experienced.

I provide a space of non-judgement, allowing clients to feel heard and be seen. We build trust and rapport to ensure you feel relative safety. I provide psychoeducation so clients understand that it is not that something is wrong with them, but that they are living with unresolved trauma. Trauma typically comes out in many ways, thoughts, memories/images, flashbacks, nightmares, behaviors, emotions, avoidance, hyperarousal and difficulties with regulation.

Throughout life one learns how to cope with trauma, and this is typically adaptive, up to a point where it no longer serves the individual. When we can investigate the past with compassion and honesty, we learn how to heal. Shame and blame only exacerbate symptoms and the maintenance of PTSD. After trauma, it is easy to blame ourselves. It can give us a false sense of security that we had some control over what happened. If we had something to do with it, we could prevent it from happening again. You will learn how to cope with trauma reminders. Avoidance of trauma reminders oftentimes create more anticipatory anxiety that negatively impacts our mental health, increasing the likelihood of experiencing more mental health symptoms. People with PTSD often must work much harder than others who do not, even without realizing it. This does not have to continue. You can regain your life.

I have extensive experience working with people who have experienced child sexual abuse, sexual trauma, neglect and domestic violence. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is to watch the transformation and growth. People are taller, not because they physically grew but because they stand confidently and trust in their instincts. My role is to help empower you and give you additional tools to make the changes needed in your life.

First Responders have been a population I have begun to work with. Much of the trauma experienced is minimized and viewed as being part of the job. This can lead to individuals self-medicating to cope with the trauma witnessed or experienced. The work these individuals do has long standing impacts for them which impact not only them but their families as well. I find that EMDR is a great modality in reprocessing past traumatic memories from being on duty and working through anxieties of future events. Reprocessing these memories can give you a sense of calm/resiliency while going on future calls, noticing a reduction in anxiety and stress. This impacts you not only at your job but in your personal life.

Another population I have begun to work with is perinatal and postpartum. Many women experience traumatic births and miscarriages. As a country, we have not set up a safe space for women to process this experience.  EMDR, creative arts, narrative work, somatic interventions CBT and DBT can be helpful interventions to work through this experience.