Specialties
Anxiety
Anxiety is a normal, healthy response to a threat. The fear helps us to prepare, pay attention and protect ourselves from perceived or real danger. However, anxiety can become problematic if it is chronic, out of proportion to the situation or begins to interfere with our daily lives. If this type of anxiety is left untreated, it can lead to maladaptive types of coping, such as substance abuse, eating disorders and other physical and/or mental issues, so it’s important to get treatment. Millions of Americans seek therapy for help with anxiety each year.
Depression
Most people experience some form of depression at least once in their lives. Sometimes feeling down is temporary and circumstances allow the person to bounce back after a short time. But depression is NOT just “sadness.” It is a condition that can comprise a host of symptoms (such as fatigue, difficulty concentrating and/or sleeping, feelings of hopelessness, among others) and it can become serious if left untreated over time. Depression is one of the most common health disorders and it’s important to seek treatment if it’s interfering in your life.
Trauma
Trauma is the response to a deeply distressing/disturbing event that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope, causes feelings of helplessness and can diminish one's sense of self and the ability to feel a full range of emotions. Most people connect the word “trauma” to acute instances, such as shootings, physical attacks and natural disasters. However, trauma can also occur when a person has experienced repeated and/or prolonged events (“complex trauma”). Trauma creates physical, mental and emotional symptoms that diminish a person’s quality of life. There are researched-based approaches that can help a person heal from trauma. Often, clients will say that they didn’t realize how much they were suffering until they begin to experience this healing.
Parenting
Being a parent is a labor of love. It’s the most difficult job in the world. As soon as we think we know how to do it, the playing field changes. Perhaps you feel like you’re at the end of your rope and yelling all the time. Or maybe you’re unsure if you’re making the “right” choices with your kids and feel like they don’t respect you. Being a parent doesn’t come with a manual, but we can team up to address the situation with a combination of skills training, behavior therapy, cognitive awareness and distress tolerance techniques. Parents who work with me say they wish they’d called sooner.
Adjustment Issues
Life is full of changes and transitions. Adjustment issues often arise in response. An adjustment disorder occurs when significant symptoms (such as chronic sadness, hopelessness, physical symptoms, etc.) occur in response to these life changes, often because of difficulties with coping. Therapy can provide support and help increase methods for healthy coping.
