Areas of Expertise

Generalized Anxiety

& Childhood Trauma

I have over 25 years of working with adolescents and adults with anxiety disorders related to abuse they suffered as children. This includes General Anxiety Disorder (GAD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Acute Stress Disorder (ASD), and specific fear-related phobias. My first 10 years involved working directly with families in which member/s experienced emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. My approach involved TF-CBT to include Exposure Therapy. I have continued working with adults experiencing untreated anxiety related to childhood abuse.

Social Anxiety & Phobias

The need and wish to belong and be accepted is a crucial part of what makes us human. It is almost always present in some form along with all other sufferings. For this reason, it is one area in which I have the greatest experience. I have worked with small children in residential group settings adjusting to significant changes as well as kids with debilitating separation anxiety not being able to leave their parents. My experience extends to working with teens in which the social aspect of belonging is fundamental to their overall emotional well-being. I validate in a warm way how normal these feelings are and also understand how they are suffering. Through the use of psychoeducation and experiential exercises, I help them 'unhook' from their own self-judgment that inhibits their abilities to connect with others the way they want to. It's fundamentally not anxiety that is the problem. Anxiety is a normal human emotion that we all experience. It's when our lives become dominated by trying hard to avoid or get rid of the anxiety that disorders develop and the suffering begins. Finally, I have worked significantly with adults in the area of social anxiety mainly targeting intimate relationships. I work with individuals trying to help them uncover where they are stuck. We work together to find new patterns of getting what we want and being the person we truly want to be in relationships.

Mood Disorders

Working with mood disorders has been a significant part of my practice for over 25 years. The World Health Organization estimates that depression is one of the costliest and most debilitating diseases. While I currently focus on the specific symptoms that my clients report significantly impair their lives rather than focus being on labels, I am fully trained and experienced working with the following diagnoses: Bipolar I and II disorders, Cyclothymic Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder. I have extensive training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). However, currently I have moved to predominately to using ACT as it contains so many of the most effecitve interventions of traditional CBT. One of the significant differences (in relation to mood disorders especially) is that ACT doesn't demand that people 'change their thinking', 'focus on the positive', or 'challenge distorted and unhelpful thinking'. This can backfire particularly with someone who has suffered for years. Instead of trying to control what you think and feel- you can learn to respond differently to even the most painful inner experiences. My method involves using skills in the session when this pain shows up. This helps to facilitate progress outside the session as you begin to make small changes.

Parenting Difficult Children -

Children ages 2-7 with Challenging Behaviors.

My passion for working with young children and their families began almost 30 years ago. I am a rostered Parent Child Interaction Therapy(PCIT) and was trained by a PCIT International master trainer over 10 years ago. I have primarly been using PCIT in sessions to treat behaviors associated with ADHD (impulsivity, hyperactivity, lack of focus and aggression), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and less severe forms of non-compliance and verbal aggression. However I also provide parent coaching to help make adjustments to support their kiddo with ADHD. I have extensive training in play therapy and ACT to treat symptoms of anxiety and depression in young children as well.