Services
Philosophy and Intention
We plan but life is a series of unexpected events. Some of these events bring joy and others bring sorrow, and the inevitable life transitions and traumas sometimes cause us to lose our way. We live in a busy, demanding, anxiety provoking society that encourages us to be consumers of chronic diversions and indulgences, many which lead us down a path of additional anxiety that results in rumination, worry, poor choices, maladaptive patterns, substance overuse, and various addictions. We seek escape and the possibilities are endless.
Our brains did not evolve for this busy world of plenty and sometimes the result is an inability to live our lives peacefully with meaning and agency. As a society, we are driven by pleasure at the expense of happiness and our equilibrium is shot. The balance is tipped to fuel more anxiety and unhappiness, and in our effort to relieve our discomforts we have only invited more. Our culture rewards striving, but it is often this striving that suffocates the very things we hold dear and renders us stuck, repeating the same patterns that hold us back. It is my goal to support my clients to examine this game, understand the toll it takes, and learn to disengage from it.
The intention of my work is to help people rediscover the happiness that somehow got away from them. Sometimes we need support to do this and to navigate and tolerate the feeling of discomfort that comes with change and growth. It takes pluck to make change, but it is the willingness to learn to adapt that really counts. I teach and support my clients to develop the psychological flexibility, emotional regulation, insight, and honest reflection needed to adapt and build the awareness and skills necessary to move toward living a healthy life of value and meaning.
Body Centered Therapy
My approach to therapy is body-centered. There is a bi-directional pathway of communication called the vagus nerve between the brain and body, and body centered interventions have been proven effective in reducing the symptoms of many mental health conditions. I incorporate diverse interventions from Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Thai massage, and balance to facilitate awareness of the body and the messages that are being sent along this pathway of communication. I have studied and applied these interventions for decades and I find them to be indispensable in my work with clients. I draw from dozens of body-centered interventions, many that I have created myself, and there is something for everyone.
Incorporating body-centered interventions in therapy has been a game-changer for my clients. My experience has been that people have more effective and faster outcomes in therapy when they begin to explore and understand, through movement, that the mind and body are designed as a whole. I teach my clients to embody their mind as they create change and discover what’s possible. Change comes from awareness more than effort, and because awareness lives in the body, it is critical to actually experience it rather than just talk about it from the confines of a chair. Research has proven that an innate intelligence resides in the body and I teach my clients how to tap into this misunderstood and underutilized resource.
Over the years, I have realized that the medical model of mental health care does not adequately address the complexity and richness of the human experience. Diagnostics contain important information but tend to focus on what is wrong, and I am more interested in learning what is right. To counterbalance the inherent limitations of the medical model, I incorporate the mind-body connection, overall functioning and well-being, and the interconnectedness of the whole person within their environment. The principals that I work with, in addition to traditional psychotherapy, are broad and include philosophy, neuroscience, and health education.
Service and Fees
I have designed my private practice studio to align with my body centered style of practice and my desire to reduce the feeling of a sterile office. I maintain a small case load, and I offer the time and attention needed to help my clients make transformational change. I show up for my clients with authenticity and wholeheartedness and I prefer to see my clients in person because my method benefits from physical presence. However, I understand the need for flexibility and I make virtual visits available for established clients when needed. For a number of reasons, including privacy concerns, I do not bill insurance.
My fee is $250 per hour. Please reach out if you would like a free consultation or if you would like to schedule an appointment.