What are some of the things that counseling can help with?
Depression: ongoing fatigue or lack of energy, trouble with decision-making, hopelessness, or a steady sense of feeling down or blue. What we often name depression is often better understood as legitimate sadness. Listening to our sadness and attending to what we need to hear from our deep feelings brings relief and renewal of hope.
Meaning in life: feeling lost, off-track, unsure of our purpose. Therapy assists one in reclaiming meaning and direction for life
Anxiety, phobias, obsessive/compulsive thoughts or behaviors. These ways of feeling unsure and scared about life can be debilitating and rob of us the freedom to live in satisfying, confident ways
Establishing a sturdy sense of valuing and understanding one's self
Building healthier attitudes and behaviors in the areas of exercise, weight control, body image, self-care routines
Spiritual concerns … developing one’s own faith commitments, wondering about the reality of God, when God feels distant/uncaring/judgmental
Marital or relational discord/considerations of divorce — therapy can dramatically improve communication, bring hope to troubled relationships, and bring increased peace of mind no matter what the decision two people ultimately make about their relationship
Disturbances of eating: a negative or demanding view of one’s body, problematic eating behaviors such as bulimia or anorexia or overeating
Grief and loss over such difficult life events as illness, death of a loved one, relationship breakups
Issues regarding sexuality
Unhappy at work; career exploration
As an adult recognizing in a new way or having deepening feelings about being a victim of abuse.
Transitions: choosing or changing a career path, giving birth, parenting an adolescent, death of a parent, becoming a parent with a newly "empty nest," retirement. Often we don't honor that changes in our lives, even quite positive changes, lead to stress and can tax our coping abilities. At such times the support of a therapy relationship can make a difference.
Areas of Expertise
Depression
I work successfully with people who are feeling down in a variety of ways, ranging from low self-esteem, lethargy and lack of motivation to seriously contemplating suicide. I focus on the therapeutic relationship and help hurting people to feel understood and not alone. Finding coherence and meaning in our emotions, even painful ones, normally moves us towards improved functioning, personal development, and the ability to turn crises into opportunities.
couples & relationships
In couples therapy I focus on partners developing communication and listening skills that they then use on their own outside of treatment. I advocate for marriages and many can be genuinely rekindled with good therapy and hard work. When partners decide to divorce, effective counseling helps in avoiding similar mistakes in future relationships and provides important assistance for children of the divorcing parents.
spirituality
Whatever your religious tradition, you can count on my respect for your spiritual journey. I enjoy engaging with clients who have faith commitments as a fundamental part of their worldview. Examining spiritual issues is often an important part of resolving difficulties and growing in new ways.
identity & purpose
Asking existential questions such as "Who am I?" and "What do I really want in life?" often generates important turning points in life. When a therapist listens carefully, values the person, challenges when needed, and appreciates clients’ strengths and limitations, people often become more clear about who they want to be and what they want to accomplish in life.
“No one belongs here more than you. ”