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"No therapy is comfortable, because it involves dealing with pain.
But there's one comfortable thought: that two people sharing pain can bear it easier than one."

- Elvin Semrad, M.D.

I strive to be a therapist that helps my clients feel safe, encouraged, challenged, and supported. With extensive training, certifications, continuing education, and 25 years experience as a therapist, I am able to offer my clients innovative therapy and useful tools to help them reach their full potential. My studies include in-depth training in the following:

  • Somatic Experiencing: I am a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) after 12+ years of training. I have assisted at multiple beginner, intermediate and advanced SE trainings (with over 742 hours of training).  I am also an SEI-approved session provider at all levels and a consultant for beginner/intermediate trainings.  
  • Somatic Experiencing Bodywork (Body Awareness and Somatic Education=BASE): certified after 100+ hour, year-long training in SE Touch healing work.
  • Nationally Certified in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Trauma Therapy: Required 20 hours of clinical supervision beyond the Level 2 Training (over 55+ hours of training/consultation)
  • Enneagram Fundamentals and Therapy (over 90+ hours of training)
  • Internal Family Systems (IFS)
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Mindfulness and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • IMAGO and Emotionally-Focused Couples Therapy
  • Love and Logic Parenting
  • Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (DNMS)
  • Solution-Focused Therapy
  • Relational and Narrative Therapy

Additional Info:

Practicing therapy since 1998, my primary goals are to help clients overcome debilitating feelings of shame they may have pertaining to their past or previous choices, in addition to offering a secure, non-judgmental environment, where clients can hopefully feel relaxed and safe to truly be themselves. I want to help clients connect with their true Self, the core of who they are, and have a better understanding of the other parts of them that help make up the whole person. This helps bring understanding and compassion to why we do what we do and can help break destructive behaviors and patterns.
In my work with eating disorders, clients will experience a non-diet, feminist treatment approach. I also provide therapy for athletes and compulsive exercisers and for individuals with binge-eating disorder, anorexia, bulimia, obsessive compulsive disorder, and body dysmorphic disorder

In my work with couples, clients will experience a combination of many different trauma-informed approaches with the primary approach being Imago Couples Therapy and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy. Issues with communication, conflict resolution, and parenting will be worked thru sensitively while learning take-home tools that will empower the couple to experience more complete intimacy.
For over five years, I also had the privilege to help create, establish, and direct the now International Girls on the Run program, a self-esteem and running program for pre-adolescent and adolescent girls. 

“Out of intense complexities, intense simplicities emerge.”

-Winston Churchill

Fees:

  • A 60-minute Appointment: $240
  • Sliding Fee Available 

Insurance Not Accepted:

  • I am no longer filing for insurance, but I'd be happy to provide a superbill for you to file for out of network benefits
  • You can pay with HSA or FSA accounts
  • Sliding scale available for those experiencing financial difficulty
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What does “Self-Full Psychotherapy” mean?

The definition of the term “Self-Full” is a personal one. Many years ago someone gave the opinion that “getting a massage or doing something nice for yourself is not a ‘selfish’ thing to do but rather a ‘self-full’ thing to do.” How true! In my experience and practice, psychotherapy helps you to realize your best and true self and to reach your goals. It is a very "self-full" thing to do and benefits not only you, but also the people around you: family, friends, and loved ones. Through the self-discovery and healing process of psychotherapy, you can hope and expect that you will begin to feel emotionally stronger and more identified with who you are at your own core. You will become more in touch with your core voice and intuition. In turn, this awakening and awareness provides an ongoing guide for you to living a more authentic, centered, fulfilled and satisfying life. It is my hope and belief that through the self-full act of seeking professional help from an experienced psychotherapist you will feel more of your full self, and that you will be "Self-Full" of calmness, clarity, compassion, courage, strength, and hope.