My Approach to Helping
I work with women who are young professionals, college students, or emerging adults who are experiencing their own version of the “quarter-life crisis”. This often shows up through anxiety, depression, grief, struggles with family or relationship dynamics, or processing difficult childhood experiences. My style is a collaborative and humanistic approach. Being human means that life inevitably presents us with challenges - this does not mean there is something wrong with us or that we need to “fix ourselves”. I meet my clients from a place of curiosity, and genuinely want to know you as a human. My approach is not to focus solely on the symptoms you are presenting with, but to better understand you as a whole and uncover the root cause behind the symptoms. I incorporate values of self-compassion, acceptance, and mindfulness into my practice. I assist my clients with creating more self-awareness, to understand the historical context behind unhealthy behaviors or thought patterns, and to work towards creating a life that is in line with their core values.
More Info About My Practice
My clinical experience and training includes work at highly regarded organizations such as UTHealth, The Menninger Clinic, Modern Therapy, and a one year post-graduate fellowship at The Council on Recovery. I completed my Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work at the University of Houston. My background has provided me with a comprehensive skillset in conceptualizing the role of addiction and mental health within family systems, as well as individuals who have been impacted by psychological trauma.
Therapy is a space to make sense of the past, explore how it influences the present, so that we can make conscious decisions about our future and how we want to live. Therapy is an opportunity to build a deep connection to ourselves, to truly know ourselves, so that we can honor our needs and experience life in the most meaningful way possible. It is an opportunity for us to become the person we may have needed when we were younger. Life has many ups and downs - this is a guarantee of being human. Having a therapist can be a guiding light for us in our darkest moments, to have someone in our corner that truly knows us and our story, and can remind us of our strengths when we have forgotten them.
Your therapist is someone you are sharing your most vulnerable parts with, and to feel safe in your therapists presence is a must. This includes things like personality, skillsettraining, and your therapists experience in helping others in a similar position as you. I believe we heal in relationships with others, in the context of a safe, secure, relationship - so trusting and feeling comfortable with your therapist is a non-negotiable. I strive to create a safe and secure relationship where you feel comfortable to show up authentically and feel fully heard and understood.
Specific Issue(s) I'm Skilled at Helping With
Anxiety & Depression: I practice Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in my approach with clients experiencing anxiety andor depression. CBT focuses on how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected, and how to challenge specific negative or unhelpful thought patterns to better manage anxiety andor depression. I also assist my clients in developing healthier coping skills, including mindfulness techniques, to better tolerate distress and manage difficult emotions.
Family & Relationship Issues: I utilize attachment theory and interpersonal psychotherapy to assist clients in strengthening their relationship within themselves, as well as with others. This includes creating and maintaining personal and relational boundaries, developing conflict resolution and communication skills, and exploring past relationships to understand the influence these have in our current relationships. I also believe much of the healing takes place within the therapeutic relationship and will often share how I experience my client within our relationship.
Trauma: I practice a range of modalities for trauma treatment, including attachment theory (for relational and childhood attachment trauma), mindfulness, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Grief: I support my clients in their grief by helping them understand the different stages of grief, as well as their own unique grieving process, and ultimately guiding them towards hope and acceptance in life after loss. I use grief informed approaches, as well as existential and humanistic approaches when working with grief.
Life Transitions: I support clients through life transitions with an existential approach, including helping them identify values to guide decision making, as well as exploring and understanding their specific needs during times of change or disruption.
Self-Esteem: I work with clients to develop a stronger self-concept and more confidence within themselves. This often occurs naturally through the therapeutic process by understanding the impact of the past, identifying needs within self and in relationships, developing healthier coping skills and thought patterns, and processing unresolved experiences.
