Specialties

Addiction

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.”

Brené Brown

Chronic Pain

Chronic pain and chronic illness can feel like a life sentence. Being shuffled around from doctor to specialist to expert without answers or relief can feel demoralizing and hopeless. My own journey living with chronic neuropathic pain gives me unique perspective and capability in treating this challenging and unforgiving area. Through adaptive strategies, skills, and cognitive approaches I can help reduce the emotional distress associated with pain as well as the accompanying mood difficulties that compound the pain. Together, we move from debilitating intolerable suffering to living with, and managing tolerable pain.

Trauma

Whether you have survived early childhood abuse or neglect, physical, sexual, or emotional abuse as an adult, a traumatic accident or injury, understand that your reactions following the trauma are normal responses to an abnormal event. Therapy is a safe space to understand and work through the aftereffects of trauma, that being the numbness or detachment, hyper-reactivity, racing thoughts, flashbacks, irritability, self-blame, avoidance, or loss of purpose. Every survivor’s story is different and thus requires an individualized approach to treatment, which might range from skill-focused, to cognitive or existential and insight-oriented approaches. No matter the technique, I practice with compassion and a deep sensitivity to my client’s needs.

Addiction

I understand that addiction, whether to substances, gambling, or love and sex, may have been a helpful short or long-term solution to a deeper problem. Perhaps the addiction has served as a coping mechanism for chronic pain and/or trauma. Addiction does not exist, nor was developed, in a vacuum. My years of experience working as a Clinical Program Director of a substance use program has equipped me with the tools to treat the complexities around the disease of addiction. Whichever stage of your recovery you are in, I am committed to helping you find community in recovery all while providing you with healthy tools to replace the addictive behaviors.