Individual Psychotherapy
Individual psychotherapy is an exploratory process that can help you understand yourself and the forces that impact your wellbeing and relationships. Many people come to therapy because they are experiencing anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts, panic attacks, fear, impulsivity, procrastination, perfectionism, hypervigilance, feeling detached, low motivation, low self-esteem, isolation, hopelessness, shame, or inner-conflict.
Others seek personal growth and meaning making.
I take a curious and compassionate approach and will work collaboratively to help you identify your strengths and desired goals.
I view symptoms from a biopsychosocial perspective, which means examining them in the context of environmental influences such as upbringing, family dynamics, generational patterns, and socioeconomic status, as well as broader cultural and societal factors.
By viewing psychological experiences through the lens of systems theory, unhealthy patterns can be externalized and recognized as once vital for survival. Taking this holistic view can help understand the root of unhealthy behaviors while providing a more compassionate framework for growth.
In some cases it is important to stabilize the nervous system and increase the window of tolerance. To support the stabilization process, I may draw from mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapies. To guide the trauma reprocessing phase, I employ somatic and attachment based strategies. Specifically, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP), and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) may be used to help reorganize traumatic memories to reduce their emotional and somatic impact which ultimately changes behavior.
Coaching
Coaching services can help you identify short and long-term goals to implement actionable steps to manage relationships, school, work-life balance, or life transitions. Managing different responsibilities or external expectations can make it difficult to prioritize goals or it might be difficult to determine where to begin. Additionally, lack of motivation, self-doubt, self-limiting beliefs, fear about the outcome, perfectionism, or procrastination are some influences that may delay committed action.
I use a variety of evidenced-based interventions to help identify what gets in the way of goals, nourish self-accountability, and help build structure. To compliment this process, I teach tangible skills to support growth. These include executive functioning, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, mindfulness practices, and communication skills.
Specialties
I have worked in community mental health (trauma recovery center), Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), and in private practice. I have worked with children, adults, and couples from different cultures and life experiences. My education, training, experience, and interests have led me to focus on helping adults experiencing PTSD, anxiety, depression, grief, and relationship issues.
Trauma can come in different forms.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Caused by:
Accidents
Natural disasters
Childhood abuse
Violence
Attachment Wounds & Relational Trauma Caused by:
Childhood neglect or abuse
Unfit parenting due to mental illness, addiction, imprisonment, or other factors
Losing a parent through divorce, abandonment, or death
Pre-immigration and post-immigration stress
School bullying
Systematic Racism
Approach
I use the following interventions to facilitate the therapeutic journey.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) - an evidence based treatment for trauma and overwhelming life experiences. The interventions allow clients to safely access and process unresolved memories so they no longer activate the nervous system in the present.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Level I (SP) - a therapeutic modality for trauma and attachment issues. SP welcomes the body as an integral source of information which can guide resourcing and the accessing and processing of challenging, traumatic, and developmental experiences.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) - a humanistic, evidence-based psychotherapy approach that draws primarily from attachment theory to facilitate the creation of secure, vibrant connection with self and others.
Family Systems Theory - is a psychological framework that examines the dynamics and relationships within families, emphasizing the interconnectedness of family members and the impact of these relationships on individual behavior and emotional well-being
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - a structured and goal-oriented, present-oriented psychotherapy that helps clients learn to recognize dysfunctional thinking patterns that negatively impact mood and behavior.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) - a psychological intervention that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies, together with commitment and behavior change strategies, to increase psychological flexibility.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) - a structured therapy that focuses on teaching four core skills (mindfulness, acceptance & distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness) to support a balanced life.