Individual Psychotherapy

Many of my clients are dealing with issues such as anxiety, depression, difficulties with their family of origin, grief and loss, healing from narcissistic abuse, traumatic life experience, finding meaning, parenting challenges, and perfectionism.

Specific areas of clinical interest

Relational trauma: Early childhood neglect and abuse cause lasting damage. It can change the way we relate to every other person in our lives, including friends, partners, our own children and colleagues. It effects self-esteem, and our ability to be assertive and draw boundaries. Abuse can result in chronic anger, self-doubt, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, chronic pain or illness, and feelings of guilt, as well as difficulty with decision-making regarding important life choices. Therapy can help to heal the inner-child, reconnect feelings of physical discomfort with their true emotional causes, and teach you to effectively communicate feelings and boundaries.

“Narcissistic” abuse: many of us have experienced the often intense pain of being in a relationship with someone we might think of as being “narcissistic”; that person could be a parent, a partner or even someone with whom we work. The gaslighting, invalidating of feelings, and lack of empathy can leave us feeling as if we can’t protect ourselves, create healthy boundaries, or even know what we want or need from moment to moment. Therapy helps us to understand that we can create boundaries, speak up for ourselves and feel safe to state our wants and needs. It’s important to know that no mental health professional can ethically diagnose someone they haven’t met with. However, a counselor can help you to make sense of treatment and behaviors which make relationships challenging.

Religious trauma and abuse: Many people find their religious beliefs to be an important and vital part of who they are. Others, however, have found that the religious tradition (or other high-control groups such as cults or even multi-level marketing groups) they were born into, or chose to be a part of, is causing pain and distress. Sometimes religion or an other high-control group is experienced as coercive, humiliating, manipulative or harmful. You may find difficulty with decision-making, critical thinking, feelings of anxiety, panic or fear, or loneliness as a result of contemplating leaving your religion or group. Therapy is a safe, non-judgmental, supportive space to explore thoughts, ideas and feelings about your beliefs and traditions.