Therapeutic Approach

Therapy isn’t magic; it’s science! Here’s a look at my approach from “behind the curtain.”

  • Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)

    CBT is the Swiss army knife of interventions as it has empirical backing to treat depression, various anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, psychosis, substance use, and trauma. Often our negative coping techniques are rooted in unrealistic and harmful beliefs about ourselves. CBT helps to examine and challenge these beliefs, replacing them with a more balanced coping statement. My training includes instruction at the Beck Institute.

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

    CPT is a trauma-treatment intervention grounded in CBT and exposure-based processing. CPT focuses on the maladapative thoughts that develop as the result of trauma, and helps clients challenge these beliefs to come up with more realistic beliefs about the event, themselves, others, and the world. I combine CPT with somatic interventions to help clients regulate the physiological sensations associated with PTSD.

  • Motivational Interviewing (MI)

    MI was developed to help people struggling with substance use to increase their motivation to change. It’s an intervention that actually works for all types of changes, including mental health recovery. It draws on client strengths and values to enhance motivation to change. I like it because it gives a framework for understanding the stages we go through as we change and normalizes relapse as a part of the change process.

  • Problem-Solving Therapy (PST)

    PST is all about teaching people how to solve their own problems using their inherent strengths. PST involves defining the problem, brainstorming solutions, testing out an idea, and evaluating its effectiveness. I’ve found this intervention to be particularly helpful in addressing situational stressors.

  • Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT)

    DBT was originally developed for the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder but offers excellent tools to help manage emotions and deal with other people. I use DBT to help clients navigate interpersonal situations, change their emotional responses, and decrease self-harming behaviors.

  • Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS)

    The core of IFS is the idea that we all have different parts inside of us that can be in conflict with one-another triggering maladaptive thoughts and behaviors. IFS uses family therapy concepts to negotiate harmony between these parts. I use IFS when a client gets stuck with a particular belief in CBT and to treat psychosis.

  • Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)

    EMDR is a specialized trauma treatment intervention that is particularly helpful for complex PTSD and childhood traumas.