My Approach

Therapy for when you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or confused

People often come to therapy because something is not working.

Maybe you feel anxious, overwhelmed, depressed, disconnected, ashamed, angry, numb, or stuck in the same patterns again and again. Maybe you know exactly where it comes from. Maybe you have no idea.

Either way, my first job is to help us get clear.

One of my strengths as a therapist is that I tend to see patterns quickly. I listen closely, ask careful questions, and try to put words to the thing underneath the thing. The pattern inside the pattern. The part that has been hard to explain, even to yourself.

Good therapy should not be rushed. But I do think it often starts with the relief of, “Oh. That actually makes sense.”

When something finally makes sense, it becomes much easier to work with.

First, we understand what is really happening

I’m not the kind of therapist who immediately jumps in with advice, worksheets, or techniques.

If you went to a doctor with a stomachache, you would not want them to treat the first thing they guessed. You would want them to ask questions, understand the symptoms, and make sure they knew what they were working with.

Therapy is similar.

If I intervene too quickly, I may be treating the wrong thing. So I slow down enough to understand patterns, context, emotions, body responses, and what the problem is actually doing in your life right now. 

I ask a lot of questions, not because I expect perfect answers, but because good questions can help you slow down and notice what is actually happening inside.

Then I reflect what I’m hearing back in my own words so we can see if I’m getting it right.

When it lands, people often say some version of:

“Yes. That’s exactly it.”

That moment matters because it gives us clarity and a map. Once we have a clearer map, we can stop wandering around the problem and start working with it directly.

I pay close attention to regulation

Some people come to therapy already overwhelmed.

Their nervous system is on high alert. They may feel anxious, panicked, shut down, dissociated, numb, restless, flooded, or unable to settle. Sometimes even talking about the problem can feel like too much.

I work well with that.

My style is steady, calm, and grounded. I am not easily shocked, and I do not need you to make your experience smaller so I can handle it.

At the same time, I will not push you to open something up before we have enough steadiness to work with it safely. Part of effective trauma therapy, anxiety therapy, and deeper emotional work is learning how to stay present without becoming overwhelmed.

Regulation is not about avoiding difficult feelings or your triggers. It is about building enough steadiness that you can face what matters without getting swallowed by it.

Working with what we find

Understanding matters, but understanding is not the end of therapy.

Once we can see the pattern clearly, we can begin to work with it.

Sometimes that means noticing what happens in your body when you talk about something painful. Sometimes it means working with a memory, an emotion, a protective response, a part of you that shuts down, or a pattern that keeps repeating in relationships. Sometimes it means building new habits or getting informed and more knowledgeable. 

Often times it means learning how to stay present when you would normally panic, freeze, overthink, avoid, please, fight, or go numb.

This is where I may draw from approaches like Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, EMDR, Internal Family Systems, mindfulness-based therapy, attachment theory, cognitive behavioral therapy and trauma-informed care.

You do not need to know what any of those mean.

In plain language: once we understand what is happening, I have ways to help you work with it.

Therapy with me is collaborative

Even when I see something clearly, I am not here to force my interpretation onto you.

I might say, “Here’s what I’m noticing. Tell me if this fits.”

You might say, “Yes, exactly.”
You might say, “Kind of, but not quite.”
You might say, “No, that is not it.”

All of that is useful.

My questions, reflections, and observations are meant to help you reflect for yourself, not to replace your own sense of what is true.

The goal is not for me to be right.

The goal is for the work to mean something real to you. 

My style

People often experience me as warm, observant, direct, precise and deeply engaged.

I am not a blank wall therapist. I will be honest with you, ask thoughtful questions, and offer reflections when I think they may help.

At the same time, I believe therapy should be consent-based and collaborative. I will not push you to disclose more than you are ready to share or force you into an exercise that does not feel right.

Therapy should challenge you at times, but it should not override you.

You are not a project to be fixed. You are a person to be understood.

Who this approach may fit

This approach may be a good fit if you:

• feel stuck and are not sure why

• have a hard time explaining what is happening inside

• keep repeating patterns you want to change

• feel anxious, overwhelmed, shut down, numb, or disconnected

• struggle with panic, trauma, depression, shame, or dissociation

• get flooded by emotions or feel cut off from them

• know what you “should” do but cannot seem to do it

• want a therapist who is active, observant, compassionate, and direct

• want therapy that goes deeper than surface-level coping skills

Core Techniques

My work is centered around three therapeutic traditions that I have received formal, supervised training in: Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems, and EMDR.

If you are interested in learning more about them please click the links below!