Therapy Services
Individual Therapy
Sort Through Feelings
Life is a journey that can sometimes leave us with jumbled emotions, confusion, and uncertainty. In Individual therapy, creating a place where your emotions are gently held, validated, and you are empowered to create new connections, both within yourself and with others is the basis of my work.
Common issues I work with:
sexuality and intimacy concerns
sense of self/identity development
anxiety and depression
abusive experiences (emotional, physical, sexual)
spiritual/religious wounding
family of origin work
relationship conflicts
parenting support
divorce
grief, loss and life transitions
Clarify Needs
I support you in attending to all aspects of your experience: Mind, Body, Emotion and Spirit, to clarify your needs and bring about lasting results. For example, we may explore painful thoughts, process difficult emotions, and notice body sensations as clues to unmet needs that make sense in the context of your own life story. I also welcome spirituality of all forms, or none at all. You bring what is meaningful to you and we will build on those strengths together to promote resilience.
I utilize a combination of approaches including emotionally focused therapy, attachment theory, mindfulness, sex therapy, and understanding of brain science and the nervous system. I may also suggest resources specific to your unique needs, such as written material, or practical “homework” exercises to support your growth between sessions.
Discover Your Path Forward
Personal discovery may naturally flow from sorting and clarifying what you feel and need. As themes emerge and I work collaboratively with you in moving through life’s challenges, you may notice yourself gradually freer to live life from a place of empowerment and joy!
Relationship Therapy
Strengthening the Couple Connection
I work with couples to uncover patterns that lead to fighting and defensiveness, while developing new ways of relating and communicating. My style is collaborative and respectful. My intention is to create a safe space where each person can feel heard and understood, heal past hurts and strengthen your couple connection.
Emotion Focused Couple Therapy
What is EFT?
Emotion focused therapy (EFT) is an approach to couples therapy rooted in over 20 years of research in adult love, attachment and marital distress. Studies find that 70-75% of couples move from distress to recovery and about 90% experience significant improvement.
How does it work?
EFT works by helping couples become aware of patterns you bring to relationship, and how your pattern impacts the cycle of interaction between you and your partner. The current belief is that humans are wired for connection, and adults meet these attachment needs in their primary intimate relationship. All goes well when we feel our partner is there for us, supportive and responsive in the way we expect. When we do not feel that, a kind of protest reaction occurs. In EFT, we become very familiar with your relationship cycle, increasing your awareness and responsiveness and eventually restructuring so that you shift into a more positive cycle that is self-reinforcing.
What is the goal?
The goal of EFT is to remove barriers to connection and closeness, work on increasing the safety and strengthening your couple "bond" (an adult form of attachment in intimate relationship). I work with couples to help make sense of what is happening between you, a bit at a time, starting with where you are.
Conflict Resolution for Couples
Most relationships experience conflict. Most often it is how we respond to conflict that leaves us feeling “stuck” in relationship. Areas of conflict around sex, money, work, time, chores, parenting and extended family relationships are common. Conflict can also stem from unresolved hurts or betrayals in relationship, such as an affair. I help couples heal and make sense of what is happening between you as well as give you new skills for communicating in conflict.
Sexual Intimacy in Relationship
My interest in sex therapy grew out of my work with couples. Many people have sexual intimacy issues or concerns. I enjoy helping couples deepen their understanding of their own sexuality and relational intimacy through conversation in session. In fact, I have found that integrating sexuality in my work with couples improves outcomes!
Sex Therapy
Healing Your Relationship with Sex
Your Body
You may experience distress about your body, sexual functioning, sexual fantasies, sexual desires and activities, sexual identity or sexual orientation that trouble you. How you feel may be incongruent with your values, religious beliefs, or the culture you were raised in. You may be unsure what “normal” sexual functioning is and want more information and a place to talk about these concerns. Maybe you have a history of sexual trauma or are noticing your body changing as you go through infertility treatment, pregnancy, menopause / andropause. Maybe chronic illness, cancer or sexual side effects of treatment for another diagnosis (such as anxiety or depression, high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease) are getting in the way of experiencing your body and sex in the way you once did.
I can help with these things.
Your Relationship
You may seek couple therapy for sexual concerns such as differing desires or ways of being sexual together (vanilla or kinky), trouble with sexual functioning with a partner (such as erectile concerns, painful sex, low desire), or illness in a sexual partner. You may have concerns communicating with a partner about sex while dating, in marriage, while parenting, after infidelity or divorce. Maybe you have LGBTQIA+ concerns, or current challenges in the configuration of your relationship (monogamy, consensual nonmonogamy, etc.).
I can help with these things.
How I Approach Treatment
Sexual Health
I support you in exploring your sexuality from a bio-psycho-social lens that is respectful, compassionate, nonjudgmental, and with an emphasis on pleasure, safety, consent, and accurate information. I utilize mindful presence with your body at a pace tolerable to you, to support improved pleasure and connection with yourself and others.
Sexual Functioning
Early on in treatment, I ask questions about your experience of sex. I consider how your body and mind are working together to be sexual. I ask about your desire/interest in sex, and any pain associated with sexual touch. I will ask about bodily signs of arousal, orgasm and how satisfied you feel with your sexual life. If you are currently in treatment with other health care providers, such as doctors or pelvic floor physical therapists, I may ask for your consent to collaborate with them on your care.
Sexual Identity and Relationship
I assess your experience in relationship from early life development into the present, considering social, emotional, and sexual identity development. With some context, we then discuss your present concerns together. This guides me in formulating a treatment plan tailored to your needs, goals and desires for yourself and relationships. We may also incorporate Emotionally Focused Couple therapy (EFT) to support you in better understanding patterns of communicating around sexual intimacy that may be blocks to more intimate partner connection (see Relationship Therapy, described below).
Education
Sexual health information and myth-busting are commonly part of our work together, as are psycho-sexual skills exercises you may be given to do between sessions. Any “homework” is carefully planned and paced according to your needs and goals for therapy. Our work is collaborative, and your consent is respected at all times.