While many therapists believe in being a neutral “blank slate” for the client, I find being active in our sessions (I’m going to talk) provides a richer and more connective experience. Additionally, I will indeed use humor because it’s an incredibly effective tool in psychotherapy. Since I am asking you to be present and vulnerable, I, too, will be present and vulnerable when needed...
Couples Therapy:
Did you know 69% of conflicts within couples will never be resolved? How those unresolvable issues are managed is a marker of a successful relationship. I specialize in couples therapy using both Gottman Method Couples Therapy and Intimacy from the Inside Out (IFIO).
Often couples have been waiting a long time before they decide to work with a therapist. Issues can be triggering and might have already become an ingrained pattern of conflict. It takes time to uncover these issues and I find longer sessions to be effective in being able to allow space for these issues to arrive, as such, all sessions are 90 minutes.
I will also use Nonviolent Communication (NVC) as a method to build a “bridge of communication”. Once we can break old - often ineffective - ways of communicating, we can begin to work on the core issues that may have activated the conflict in the beginning. Together we’ll create a safe space to decide the best way to move through some of the most challenging aspects to partnership.
My primary goal is to create a safe environment for you both to express what is really happening that makes communication unpleasant and difficult. I want to know how you've dealt with challenges in the past and figure out if those strategies worked for you; because often, they didn’t. I would like to help you each find new ways to see life, your partner and all the challenges you’ve experienced so you can move forward and thrive both individually and inside the couple.
In addition to couples therapy, I really think everyone can benefit from one-on-one therapy. We are taught to “buck up!”, “get over it”, “move on” and “be brave”. In reality, none of those strategies genuinely work and they certainly aren't going to offer you or your partner support during truly challenging times in your life. From time to time, I can work with one member of the couple in an effort to further individual growth that might fall outside of the couples conflict patterns. Working with one member of the couple is only ever done mindfully for a brief amount of time with full agreement from both partners
Lastly, being a parent educator allows me a special insight into children and the impact they can have on relationships. Adolescence, in particular, is fraught with identity confusion, social struggles and a huge neurological rewiring that is the root of a teenager’s bad reputation… and conflicts within couples! My extensive knowledge of early childhood development and parent education is a boon to couples struggling with co-parenting.