Services Provided
I am so grateful for the privilege of co-creating a safe space for folks to explore and navigate the most vulnerable parts of themselves. It is not lost on me how much courage it takes to seek and utilize therapy toward healing and living more in-line with our values. I am proud and humbled to work with every one of my clients, and value their bravery tremendously.
Individuals
I work best with those who are struggling with relationships in some form. Over the past decade, I’ve worked primarily with sexual and early attachment trauma. These folks often struggle with symptoms of PTSD, dissociation, anxiety and depression. In the last few years, I have found that I also enjoy working with high stress, high profile individuals (e.g. attorneys, medical professionals, university staff, teachers), and many of the skills I’ve honed during my time doing exclusive trauma work translates well to working with this population. In fact, I’ve found many high stress, high profile individuals may have been motivated to perform and achieve at their highest level in part because they survived early relational stress or trauma. I also enjoy working with current and former service industry workers due to my own past experience in that arena.
In individual therapy, a client can expect to:
● Learn about the lasting impacts of formative developmental experiences
● Explore the impact of present day systems and relationships
● Cultivate increased self-awareness and emotional intelligence
● Develop coping skills, self-care habits, and emotional regulation skills
● Allow the full expression, processing and release of previously suppressed experiences
● Examine learned attitudes, values, and beliefs that may be hindering current functioning
● Learn to dialog with different parts of the self, promoting internal collaboration and healing between parts of the self
● Interact relationally with the therapist, giving and receiving feedback on how one another is experienced
● Feel more connected to yourself and others
● Explore and develop preferred values, boundaries, and self-expression
● Reduce stress and worry
● Feel empowered and recognize your ability to be a change agent in your own life
My graduate training program included a strong focus on couple’s work, and I’m privileged to have the opportunity to collaborate and continue to learn from many other brilliant couples therapists. Couples therapy typically involves a 3 session intake process. In the first session, I meet with the couple together, then, I have separate 1:1 sessions with each partner for further individual assessment. If there are more than 2 individuals in the relationship, we will have 1:1 sessions with each partner as part of intake. The intake assessment is intended to learn about you, including why you’ve come to therapy, the history of your current sexual and/or relational concerns, your relevant medical and mental health history, and family history. After the intake process is complete and treatment goals are created, there are common elements of couples therapy you can expect to cover.
Couples & Relationships
Frequent Areas of Focus in Couples Therapy:
● Developing a shared understanding of the problem
● Defining what success looks like for your relationship
● Exploring causes and contributors to the problem
● Taking responsibility for your role in the conflict
● Learning and practicing healthy communication skills
● Addressing untreated mental health conditions
● Sexual education and coaching, as needed
● Guided touch practices for homework, as needed
● Anticipating and overcoming obstacles to change
Sex therapy is talk therapy that includes specialized skills and specific treatment approaches to sexual concerns, problems and relationship issues. These can include questions about sexual orientation/identity, gender identity, sexual/relationship preferences, desire discrepancies, performance issues, affairs, sexual trauma, sexual pain and more. In general, a sex therapist helps you clarify, set goals and resolve sexual questions or difficulties which affect you and/or your relationship. Sometimes physical difficulties prevent or diminish sexual pleasure. In other instances, sexual communication and intimacy may seem difficult and unsatisfying.
Sex Therapy
Our sexual selves do not exist in a vacuum, and thus sex therapy often overlaps with multiple areas of our over-all personhood. Non-sexual relational concerns, body image and self-esteem, formative experiences that set the stage for what to expect in future intimate relationships, cultural identity, trauma, gender dysphoria, and faith-based/spiritual beliefs can all intersect with sexual concerns. All of this, and more, can be safely explored and integrated during our work together.
Properly trained sex therapists have taken classes on sexuality, received supervised training in sex therapy, and have explored their own sexual attitudes and beliefs, and continue to do so. To be a sex therapist, one needs to be exceptionally non-judgmental, unconditionally accepting, and open to very frank conversations. Sex therapy, and all therapy sessions, are confidential.
I’ve provided clinical supervision to a number of emerging therapists working toward their clinical social work licensure and am approved to sign-off on LCSW (in DE) & LCSW-C (in MD) supervision hours. I can also provide group and individual clinical consultation services around my speciality areas to therapy agencies, medical offices, school staff, and any group seeking to learn more about trauma-informed mental health topics. Please, reach out to inquire about your specific individual or group needs. Rates for these services are determined based on a number of factors such as the size of the group, the audience, topic and length of sessions.
Consultation & Supervision
As I continue my career, I’m finding that I enjoy integrating short-term trainings and workshop opportunities for both clinicians and people in the communities I serve. Please, stay tuned for up-coming virtual workshop offerings, and feel free to request a specific workshop or training opportunity for your group today. Possible workshop topics include: Increasing connection and intimacy before marriage; Trauma 101; Transitioning to parenthood; Building connection and influence with your child; Partner’s of abuse survivors group; Reclaiming your sexual self after trauma; and Exploring non-monogamy. I also maintain waiting lists when clients show interest in a particular program, so feel free to express interest in a future group.
Professional Trainings, Workshops
& Sex Education
Having a master’s in sexuality education, along with providing sex therapy services within my clinical practice, has given me the opportunity to provide sex education and training opportunities to others. In the past, I’ve presented on topics such as: Treatment Interventions for Low Sexual Desire in Sexual Trauma Survivors; Utilizing Erotic Transference as a Clinical Intervention Imperative; and Increasing Clinical Competencies Around Sexual Language. I’ve presented to clinical staff at psychotherapy agencies, continuing education conferences, and even a group of romance novel writers. Please, reach out for more information about whether I’d be a good fit to help train others on various sex education topics.
Groups
More Information on groups coming soon.
