Experience

I have been helping individuals and couples since 1995 as a pro bono and private practice psychotherapist.

Prior to my counseling career, I was an Information Technologies manager and project manager for over 15 years.

My Philosophy and Approach

My approach trusts in your internal resources, strengths, and wisdom. I focus on practical applications drawn from various theories so that you realize meaningful healing, growth, and change. In our work together we will work on 5 levels:

Mind -Make sense of the dynamics and issues that create struggles and pain in your life and relationships

Feeling – Teach you to recognize and experience your emotions without flooding and reactivity and learn how to tap your feelings as an asset

Body – Develop body or somatic awareness and heal your body experience of past pain

Behavior – Identify learned ways of behaving that are no longer helpful or healthy and learn new skills and ways of being

Spirit – Integrate your authentic Self into your life experience

Treatment Methods

Traditional Talk Therapy  One of the most powerful and healing methods I use in my psychotherapy is creating a mutually respectful, collaborative, and caring relationship with my clients.  This relationship enables us to talk about, explore, and process any experiences or feelings, which fosters insight, healing, transformation, and growth.  For more information on the model that informs how I employ Talk Therapy see David Wallin's Attachment in Psychotherapy.

Internal Parts Work  Another powerfully healing method I use is Richard C. Schwartz's Internal Family Systems Model.  This method is premised on the understanding that we're all multidimensional, i.e., we all have subpersonalities or parts that carry different beliefs, memories, feelings, and ways of reacting and behaving.  Facilitating internal dialogues with my clients' subpersonalities is a way of doing deep, healing, and transforming work.  This model provides a mechanism to heal and unburden so that different reactions no longer take over or flood you with extreme feelings or behaviors.  For more information on the Internal Family Systems model see Richard C. Schwartz's Introduction to the Internal Family Systems Model.

Somatic Work  Our bodies have their own physical memories of emotional or traumatic experiences and as a result can hold a lot of pain.  I guide clients in using their body experience as a path to healing by attuning to how feelings and memories are held in their bodies, and moving beyond intellectual understanding to get information and gain insight from their somatic experience.  This experiential way of working is an efficient and powerful path to healing.

My work is informed by Attachment Theory, Developmental Theory (Object Relations, Self Psychology, and Relational Psychology), Internal Family Systems Theory, as well as by Pia Mellody’s treatment model for Developmental Maturity, Terry Real’s treatment model for Relational Living, and John Gottman’s Research-based couples counseling model.

Education and Training

MA Clinical Psychology, University of Colorado – Denver

BA Psychobiology, Boston College

Internal Family Systems Level 1 Certification, Center for Self Leadership

Relational Recovery training with Terry Real, Relational Recovery Institute

Recognitions

Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society

Paper Presentation - Rocky Mountain APA Conference