specialty
“He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.” – Lao Tzu
I conduct individual, couples, and group psychotherapy.
my areas of interest are:
Relationship issues /Divorce Recovery
Anxiety Disorders
Mood disorders, i.e. Depression, Bipolar, etc.
Addiction in recovery
LGBTQAI
Survivors of trauma
Dvelopmental Life stage challenges
Survivors of Childhood emotional and physical abuse
INDIVIDUAL THERAPY
Individual therapy provides a safe and contained setting where the individual would have the opportunity to freely express all thoughts and emotions, and explore the intricate dynamics of his or her internal world. How these dynamics and perceptions contribute to his/her experiences in life become the main focus of the therapeutic dyad between the therapist and the client.
We perceive life through our own lenses; our perceptions have been determined by the experiences we’ve gained and have largely developed through our interactions with our caretakers. We are inclined to be invested in a story or stories about ourselves and have the compulsion to repeat these stories. These inclinations emerge in the course of therapy, where the therapist can use interventions to help the client gain insight, and therefore make the changes necessary towards a stronger, and richer life experience.
COUPLE’S THERAPY
Interpersonal relationships are often impacted by the individual’s sense of self-worth, early attachment styles(secure, anxious-preoccupied, dismissive-avoidant, and fearful-avoidant), communication abilities, empathy level, and tolerance for the other's imperfections. Depending on the comfort level of the individuals seeking change, all modes of psychotherapy (individual, couples, group) can be valuable venues to achieve these goals. Generally though, when one individual in a relationship makes changes, the dynamic of the whole relationship tends to change with it.
Ulysses S. Grant's chair from Appomattox, National Museum of American History
GROUP THERAPY
GROUP – Group therapy generally consists of 5 to 8 people who make a commitment to meet weekly. Each individual signs a contract agreeing to keep the identity of the members, and issues discussed in the group confidential. There are different kinds of groups:
Self-help open groups, like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) run without a leader, and are not interactive, but are extremely effective in creating a support system, and a community to help individuals with a specific need. These groups are free, and open to anyone who wishes to overcome a specific problem.
Special interest time-limited groups, often have a theme like “adult survivors of abuse,” or “grief for the loss of a loved one,” “women’s group,” etc. In these groups, people who share very similar issues gather for support and work through common struggles.
Ongoing Groups, may or may not have a special interest or theme. These groups work with whatever emerges in the session among the members, and about the members. These groups are often interpersonal, but also address issues based on the needs of any given member.
The two latter groups tend to be closed and have a therapist as the group leader. New members usually enter when an old member leaves and space opens up.
Groups are quite powerful mainly due to the fact that they provide a forum where individuals can not only share their issues, and explore them, but also get feedback from their peers about their issues, and their impact on the group members. It is like a mini world, wherein one has the potential for receiving the most honest feedback from peers in a safe and confidential setting.