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Clinical Specialties

Overview

I took this background picture during a trip to the Redwood forest. What struck me was the duality: half of the tree is burnt from a forest fire, yet it continues to live and grow. The tree didn’t survive by shedding its burn scars; it carries them and thrives, supported by its strong root system. In the same way, therapy isn’t about getting rid of the “bad” parts – the painful emotions, the unwanted thoughts – but learning how to grow with and around them, staying grounded in your values and community.

My primary clinical specialties lie in relationships, under/overcontrol, and life transitions, which I describe in more detail below. To develop expertise in these areas, I’ve worked in a variety of clinical settings including:

  • Academic medical centers providing individual, couple, and family therapy for clients experiencing first episode psychosis, bipolar I disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder.
  • The Department of Veterans Affairs (specifically in the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program, Mood Disorders Clinic, and Family Mental Health Community of Practice) providing individual and couple therapy for military Veterans and their partners experiencing anxiety, bipolar disorders, borderline personality disorder, depression, psychotic disorders, PTSD, and relationship distress.
  • Non-profit organizations providing individual and couple therapy for postpartum mothers in underserved communities experiencing anxiety and depression.
  • Outpatient mental health clinics providing individual therapy for depression and anxiety, and couple therapy for relationship distress.

I view therapy as a place to develop psychological flexibility and build a toolkit of coping strategies that work for you. I most commonly draw from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT), and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT).

Relationships

Many clients come to therapy wanting to change something about their relationships. Whether you’re having arguments with your partner or experiencing social anxiety, we can identify patterns that are no longer serving you

Couple/Conjoint Therapy

Couple or conjoint therapy offers a space to work together with your partner. In the initial stages of couple therapy, we’ll focus on what’s called the “DEEP” of your relationship:

  • Differences
  • Emotional sensitivities
  • External stressors
  • Pattern

I will meet individually with each of you during this time to get a better sense of how your unique life experiences are impacting your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in your relationship. Once we have a solid understanding of the DEEP, especially your pattern, we can identify when and how it shows up in your relationship and work to develop emotional acceptance and change.

Treatments: EFT, IBCT

Individual Therapy

Improving your relationships can also be the focus of individual therapy. Loneliness and social anxiety can keep you stuck in your relationships with friends, coworkers, or romantic partners. Big emotions can take over and make it difficult for you to communicate effectively with the people you care about. Individual therapy offers a space to identify how your own mental health is impacting important relationships in your life and build skills for interpersonal effectiveness while improving confidence and self-esteem.

Treatments: ACT, CBT, DBT

Undercontrol / Overcontrol

The way we experience and respond to our own emotions has a huge impact on our thoughts and behaviors. Some people experience emotion as very intense, all-consuming, or undercontrolled, while other people tend to suppress or overcontrol their emotions. Therapy can be a space to explore the role of emotion in your life and identify areas for growth and change.

Undercontrol

Do you feel like your emotions come out of nowhere and feel really intense? Do other people notice big changes in your mood? You might be experiencing undercontrol, or difficulty with emotion regulation, which can result in emotional outbursts, and risky or impulsive decisions. We can use strategies to help you slow down, develop awareness of these patterns, and be more present in your life without suppressing your emotions.

Treatments: ACT, CBT, DBT

Overcontrol

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Is the idea of vulnerability unsettling for you? You might be experiencing overcontrol. On the surface, this can look like perfectionism, independence, and high achievement, but can lead to burnout. Together we can explore sources of overcontrol in your life, challenge patterns that are no longer serving you, and develop strategies to help you maintain balance.

Treatments: ACT, CBT, radically open DBT (RO-DBT)

Life Transitions

Grief, loss, and role transitions can be incredibly painful and leave us feeling lost and uncertain of why this happened and what it means to move forward. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Therapy allows a space to grieve and process loss and figure out how to transition into your next phase. Maybe you’re going through a recent change, or you’ve felt stuck for a long time and unsure of how to Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Together we can find new meaning and strengthen your self-concept while honoring your past roles and relationships.

Treatments: ACT, IPT