Psychotherapy

Talk therapy is based on the principle that traumatic experiences, emotional wounds, and mood disorders can be treated through the two key components of psychotherapy:

• Verbal processing of past experience
• Reparative relationship to build new patterns of attachment

Research has shown that evidence-based therapies like positive behavioral reinforcement, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and coping skills training (as well as parenting skills training) such as the kinds of skills training provided by Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, can be very effective in helping clients function better, be more effective in their relationships, and feel better.

However, while building skills is important, research has demonstrated over and over that the most significant reparative component of therapy is relationship. While I draw practical techniques from the behavioral methods mentioned above, an attachment theory framework underlies all my work with clients across the lifespan, from preschool-aged children to adults.

Resolving past wounds and developing new ways of relating are essential components of growth and optimal functioning. That said, not all people (and especially not all children) move through these processes in primarily verbal ways. For that reason, in addition to evidence-based talk therapy methods, I also offer active and expressive therapies, such as play therapy and sandplay.

While all clients are unique, some of my clients present more specialized sets of challenges. Please refer to the autism treatment page for more information on my understanding of autism, and my stance on treating autistic clients. I also explain my approach to working with young people with intense emotions.

I offer treatment and support for:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Loss and grief
• Transitions
• Sexual orientation issues
• Identity issues
• Relationship challenges
• Developmental trauma
• Disruptions in attachment relations

​​In addition, I offer psychotherapy and play therapy for young people addressing:

• School/work challenges
• Autism related stressors
• Social Skills
• Attention Deficit regulation skills
• Attachment disruption
• Acting out behaviors
• Auditory processing disorders
• Learning disorders
• Developmental delays
• Fears and phobias
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• ​Expressive/receptive language deficits
• Sensory processing challenges
• Family and sibling conflict
• Parent coaching
• Divorce
• Adoption or foster care
• Transition to college/adulthood