Specializing in Individual and Family Counseling for:
Stress/Anxiety
You may notice symptoms of anxiety like nervousness, panic, a sense of dread or danger, rapid breathing or heartbeat, upset stomach, shakiness. The panic of anxiety can speed a person up - or bring them to a standstill.
Stress is inevitable, but too much can be toxic. Chronic anxiety and toxic stress take a toll on your body and your health.
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Fortunately, there are effective treatments for anxiety, with or without the use of medication. Some of the modalities I use include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), grounding, centering, mindfulness and cognitive behavioral techniques.
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Life isn't about overcoming your fears and then going forward, it is about lovingly embracing those fears and stepping forward together. - M.M. van der Reijden
Depression
We throw the word "depressed" around too easily. "I'm depressed" we say, when we really mean, "I'm sad" or "I'm lonely." But sadness, disappointment, or low energy are not the same as depression. Sadness is a temporary state which may need attention, but it's not depression.
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Depression lasts longer and affects how we feel about ourself, our abilities, and our potential. It doesn't usually go away by itself. It can be frustrating for family members who think we can just pull ourselves out of it. They don't realize that depression can convince us that it's hopeless to even try. Family members may miss signs of depression and discount the level of pain because they don't realize a depressed person can have good days here and there.
"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it." - Helen Keller
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Trauma
Sometimes trauma counseling means working through a single difficult experience. Other traumas are more complex and long term. This means that your trauma treatment may look quite different from someone else's.
Part of what makes an event traumatic is the lack of control we have over it and over the automatic biological responses which push us to fight, flee, or freeze. Sometimes the responses that helped us get through in an emergency keep getting retriggered and make us feel stuck in the past.
Because you may have had little or no control over the trauma, it's important to me that you have control in your treatment. There are many stages in healing - understanding how trauma has impacted you and your relationships, developing skills and resources to cope with emotions, processing the events, and preparing for your future - and we'll work on them at the pace that feels right to you.
Many people find they not only heal, but actually experience post-traumatic growth.
Divorce
Counseling can help you get through the challenges and get past the difficult memories.
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For adults, therapy helps to cope with losses (emotional, financial, physical, social), find a new way to interact with the ex if there will be ongoing contact, and launch the next chapter of life. Adults with children also seek parenting counseling, either individually or with their ex, to understand and help reduce the stress their children go through during and after divorce.
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For children, therapy helps to cope with sadness and anxiety, adjust to changes, minimize loyalty conflicts, overcome any fears of loss or abandonment, and not take responsibility for parents' emotions and wellbeing.
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Teens already have a lot of social, academic and life stage stresses, and divorce can pile on added worries and responsibilities. Connecting with an adult who appreciates them and realizes that it's not all about the divorce can be a game changer. Counseling offers a safe place to talk about their feelings and experiences with an adult whose feelings they don't have to protect.
Child Therapy / Parenting
Children are not mini adults - so child therapy doesn't look like adult therapy.
Because children express their feelings and explore their experiences best through play, play is an important tool in child therapy. Depending on your child's age, personality, and verbal ability, there may be more or less talk involved in the sessions.
Parents are a child's most important source of support and security, so I often ask that a parent participates in part of the session. Sometimes I recommend working entirely through parents either by teaching them to have weekly therapeutic play sessions with their children or through parent counseling to help with parenting skills and decisions.
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Child therapy begins with an assessment period where I meet with you together and separately to learn about your child, understand all perspectives, and make recommendations for treatment. In order to make sure you can speak openly and decide whether you're comfortable with me before you introduce me to your children, the first session will not include children.
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& Clinical Supervision
Are you a new clinician wanting to refine your skills or attain advanced licensure? Or a more experienced clinician looking for consultation or a change in clinical focus? Most of us find we can better support our clients when we feel supported ourselves. I provide an authentic space for supervision where you can freely communicate what you feel confident about in your practice, what you struggle with, and what skills you're interested in developing further.
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As a PA Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I can provide all of the supervision required for obtaining LCSW licensure. Other mental health practitioners should check with their licensing board for their supervision requirements.
Standard supervision fee is $85 for an hour of individual supervision and $50 for group supervision.*
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*Reduced fees are available for nonprofit employees in appreciation of the contributions those working in nonprofit agencies provide to our communities.
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