I primarily work with adults navigating existential and transitional moments in life, such as job stressors, relationship conflicts, and complex family dynamics. I have a wide range of professional experiences, including working with people with severe mental health issues, domestic violence survivors, and around grief/end-of-life issues.
Trauma
Trauma is a deeply distressing psychological experience that distorts your sense of worldview, perception of others, and sense of safety in the world. Trauma can be an isolated incident (such as a sexual assault) or a cumulative experience that alters your way of being (such as race-based trauma).
Using cognitive and somatic techniques, I incorporate mindfulness practices to help people learn their triggers, regulate their nervous systems, and explore feeling safe in their bodies. Using cognitive restructuring exercises, we might discuss ways to reshape and control your trauma narrative. Not only is trauma curable, the healing process can be a catalyst for profound emotional and spiritual awakenings.
Grief, Loss, & Bereavement
Have you just experienced the death of a loved one? Or perhaps you are experiencing an ambiguous loss – a role transition such as a romantic breakup or divorce? Do you have difficulty accepting the reality of your loss or allowing yourself to experience the pain of your loss?
Grief is not a linear experience; rather, it can be episodic and comes in waves. The process of relearning and redefining our relationships is central to the human spirit. I can help you to mourn and process your grief through understanding the meaning of your loss and creating new systems of meaning that allow you to live with joy and purpose in spite of relational losses.
Perinatal Mental Health/New Motherhood
New motherhood is complicated. You might feel sad, anxious, and overwhelmed in all the emotional, physical, and social changes having a new baby offers. You might struggle even getting an hour of uninterrupted sleep, which has profound consequences for emotional wellbeing. You might have difficulty with attachment, intrusive thoughts about harm coming to your baby, and difficulty regulating your emotions.
It helps to have a supportive space to process this new role transition. I can help you enhance your coping skills to navigate motherhood, address attachment/bonding between you and your child, and construct meaning out of your new role while mourning the loss of your old life. I work with individuals along the continuum of the fertility experience, including individuals struggling to conceive, currently pregnant, and current mothers.
Body Image/Eating Disorders
Are you obsessed with food, scrutinizing your calories and exercise regimen? Do you engage in emotionally-driven eating? Do you experience guilt and shame around food? Or use compensatory measures, such as food restriction, purging, or laxative use to “make up” for food consumed? Do you compare your appearance to others and never feel “good enough?”
We live in a diet-culture that reinforces negative attitudes towards our body image and self-worth. My hope is for clients to build self-compassionate ways to enhance their physical and mental health goals by focusing on their body’s internal needs. For many of my clients, that means uncovering the ways in which the larger socio-cultural influences promote unhealthy body image ideals and developing strategies to break free from negative thoughts and behaviors around food. I can help you cultivate a peaceful relationship with food and your body image to improve your self-esteem – independent of how you look. I utilize a Health At Every Size approach and integrate Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-E) and DBT skills to support your eating disorder recovery.