About Therapy

Bridging your now with what you want to become.

Life feels overwhelming.

You don’t feel understood. People spend time with you but don’t seem to understand or see you. You are tired of being strong for others while your needs fall by the wayside (and no one else seems to notice).

You are protecting and nurturing others. When a friend needs help, you respond. When a relative asks for advice – you give them your best.

It feels like no one helps you. No one is lifting you. People surround you, but you feel isolated and alone.

You used to remember being happy and having fun, but that feels like a lifetime ago. You miss the old days.

I partner with my clients and encourage them to dream big…

… and to work hard in the direction of their dreams.

I want to find love.

I want to heal my relationship.

I want to have a family.

I want to get respect and admiration.

I want to stop hating my boss.

I want to make a difference in the world.

I want to make peace with my body.

I want to have confidence.

I help my clients talk about their discontent with life, how the outside does not match their inside. How they feel stuck.

Then we label and speak those things that we are yearning for out loud. In time, a clear theme develops, and you will start to recognize how a lot of the demands you put upon your life do not originate from YOUR own needs and desires – but to receive acceptance and love from others.

My clients are guided through a process of thought examination and exploration; they must spend time WITH THEMSELVES, understanding, accepting, being curious.

Eventually, my clients can hear their own voice distinguish from all the other forces and opinions that influence them. They hone in on their own voice… a clear message emerges, and they are home.

Freedom is knowing who you are.

I help strengthen and build my clients…

… on a solid foundation of positive self-care, clear values, and sense of identity, helping them locate the shortest path to their goals.

We need to understand the body, mind, and soul. All these components of you deserve acknowledgment and attention.

Hannah* accepted a challenge to journal for 30 days. She asked herself questions about what her true wants and desires were. She spent time examining her daily patterns and how she used her time, energy, and body to achieve her desires.

She made a startling discovery. Hannah has been living with a lot of contradictions. Many of these contradictory beliefs are projected from social media, commercials, even family whose ideals she disagreed with.

Hannah felt exhausted and overwhelmed because she was listening to too many stories about how her life was supposed to be.

Through journaling, she could recognize how her thoughts and questions, and her behaviors did not align with her dreams. On the pages of her writing, she saw her own story come alive in front of her.

She recognized her voice and how she had not been true to that voice with her actions. This pattern has gone on for 15-20 years. No wonder she didn’t feel satisfied with the direction of her life in the present day.

She has been working so hard to please others, to fit in, and to achieve love and acceptance that she hasn’t been true or even consciously aware of her mutation from her true self. The simple but powerful process of journaling helped Hannah find herself. Hannah is now on a mission to continue to find HER WAY to approach life, with a clearer understanding of her priorities.

Once my clients have a solid foundation in place…

THEY find the strength to try new things.

THEY notice the cracks that need to be filled.

THEY develop a sense of well-being that makes it easier to tackle areas of their lives and relationships that need attention, work, and healing.

Richard* came into my office with devastating heartbreak. He had just been granted his second divorce, and the grief and sense of failure he felt about his failed relationships have permeated into every aspect of his life.

His successful business is stagnant. He stopped exercising and has gained weight. He feels rage at his ex-wife for lying and betraying him, and contempt and shame for not standing up for himself for 25 years.

While in the marriage, he had alternated between denying and hiding from signs of a destructive relationship, and using obsession, control, and accusations to confront his fears.

The more he had tried to “fix” his situation, the more he spiraled out of control. He didn’t know what a healthy relationship should look like and how to honor the separateness and connectedness of his partnership with his wife.

Richard had all the desire and motivation to stop the pain. He was done with the chaos. Richard needed help to identify that Codependency was a major player in his life.

Armed with books, articles, videos, and a journal – he identified stories and people who mirrored his life. He had tremendous validation when he saw he had been caught up in a common condition of Codependency throughout his life.

With a new awareness of his condition, he wrote out his life story in clear details … identifying how he had gone to great lengths to please people and to receive approval at great cost to himself. He didn’t have boundaries to protect himself. He gave endlessly to relationships and was hurt and humiliated when partners did not reciprocate with love and appreciation.

Richard now knows he needs to heal from his childhood messages that he was not enough. His childhood left him feeling that he needed to go to great lengths to deserve approval and love, and to expect little or nothing in return.

Now Richard has tremendous relief and validation that he wasn’t bad, broken, crazy, or unlovable. He knows how to recognize abuse and actively sets boundaries in his life. He attends online support meetings and has been prioritizing his well-being, his business, and his friendships.

Eventually, my clients are leading the session!

By the 4th or 5th session with me, they’re sharing victories and triumphs, telling ME where they need to improve, and sharing their upcoming goals and the measurable steps to achieve those goals.

Today, Hannah and Richard are full steam ahead in therapy.

Both individuals have learned to find their voice and tune out the distorted messages of media, peers, and childhood.

Both persons are deriving their happiness from inside their hearts with a sense of accomplishment and resilience.

Armed with better habits, boundaries, and self-care practices – these clients report much higher satisfaction in their current lives.

They are becoming the person they are meant to be.

My method is to get my clients strong and confident enough that they outgrow me and my services and go on to thrive, nurture other people, and make a positive impact in the world.

But you’ll need the right therapist…

I believe an effective therapist needs to fall in love with the therapy process. They’re always questioning…

What makes people tick?

What’s going on behind the mask?

Why do people behave this way?

I’m here to create a safe and calming space for you to heal. I am enthusiastic and passionate about my clients’ growth and successes. I am rooting for you.

I also make every effort to live and do what I preach. I am an avid reader of self-improvement techniques and relationship knowledge. I am constantly reviewing and consulting materials that are on the cutting edge of therapy.

As a wife of 15 years and a mother of four high energy kids, I am also living this life – out loud and fully. Life can feel overwhelming with too many options; trying to do it all is a sure recipe for insanity.

I identify with my clients needing to manage high expectations but still progressing and growing. I regulate my sleep, eating, and exercising habits because, without a foundation of health, I could not be mentally and emotionally available to my clients. Between work, family, and community involvement, I value my time and energy – and conserve them.

Honoring my own voice and working hard in the direction of my dreams has manifested very powerfully in my practice with my clients. I can authentically call you to show up for yourself because I live this practice in my own life.

Sure, life will always continue to bring us challenges…

But therapy can make a big difference in how you handle them. When you go through the work of therapy, it changes everything.

You’ll feel less alone…

You’ll pause and reflect on your problems…

You’ll handle stress differently…

You’ll healthily prioritize yourself.

You’ll truly BELIEVE life can be better.

*Names changed to preserve client confidentiality.