individual psychotherapy

I work to assist individuals in understanding forces within that cause suffering and confusion.  My approach is engaging, warm and expansive.  I have over 19 years of experience with many types of people from different cultures and backgrounds.   I approach people as human beings, with complex emotions and complicated lives, who are trying to live a better life. 

I believe people often have ‘scripts’ of who they are and why they came to living the kind of life they created.  I work to help people develop ways of reflecting on what has been, what is, and what might be in order to allow more choices in life.  We often get stuck or frozen and tolerate an existence that may not reflect all that we initially wanted out of life, or how we imagined our talents and skills would be put to use.  We often land in romantic and sexual relationships that can be frustrating and painful because we don’t always understand why we pick the partners that we do, or why we often feel misunderstood, or unloved and frustrated.

Individual psychotherapy gives you a private space, free of partners, spouses, family and friends.  While close friendships often give us support, they don’t provide the objectivity that a professional therapeutic relationship may offer.  Shame, guilt, anxiety or difficulties asking for help can be spoken of with a professional therapist and understood as a part of the terrain of getting a better perspective.

I often hear from patients a fear about the stigma of being in psychotherapy.  My philosophy is that it takes courage to look at oneself, and this is nothing to be ashamed of.  Rather, it shows a kind of strength rather than a weakness.  If life’s problems were easy to handle alone, we’d all be doing that.  My profession is based in the idea that being understood, listened to carefully in a focused way and given ways to think about oneself are actually helpful and curative.