Working With Me
Finding help for yourself or your loved one can feel overwhelming. You may have a generalized feeling that something is wrong or be experiencing specific emotional and physiological symptoms of depression or anxiety (or both). You may find your relationships at work or in your romantic and social life unsatisfying and not understand why. People from various backgrounds experience challenges relating to their mental health and benefit from therapy to make lasting changes.
At times, our circumstances and maladaptive coping skills combine to cause distress. It often takes at least two minds to help to work out our blind spots, and this is where psychotherapy offers something uniquely valuable: the clarity to understand our feelings, thoughts, and behaviours and to make meaningful, lasting changes.
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I also offer consultation to psychologists, psychotherapists other clinicians wanting to increase their understanding of combining a psychodynamic framework with other modalities such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectic Behavioural Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Mindfulness and Acceptance Based Therapies.
Services
A first step can be to assess whether we would be a good 'fit' for each other. The quality of the therapeutic relationship itself is the single most important factor in determining how effective therapy will be.
1
Individual Psychotherapy
I work collaboratively with adults, including young adults in Ontario and California using evidence based psychotherapy. My approach is integrated and focuses on short term relief as well as long term emotional health. I work with people experiencing depression, anxiety, personality disorders, relational challenges and people who have experienced trauma.
2
Couples Therapy
I work with couples on better understanding themselves and each other in intimate relationships, and developing more adaptable ways of relating to each other and communicating. I work with couples in crisis and couples that are early in their relationship that are hoping to break patterns they found themselves repeating in previous relationship. I work with couples struggling with fertility, transitioning to new roles at work at home. Some couples need help learning better communication patterns and how to overcome and better manage conflict between them. I'm experienced with modalities such as Emotional Focused Couples Therapy (EFT).
3
Social/Emotional Assessments
I work with individuals and clinicians for a brief assessment to provide a clinical diagnostic picture to enhance self awareness and to further therapeutic work.
4
Consultation / Supervision
I consult with other mental health clinicians on bringing a psychodynamic and relational lens to their existing therapeutic skills.
My Therapeutic Approach
My approach is collaborative and focuses on insight and understanding of how you arrived at this point in your life. We will be working on what is acutely troubling you including symptoms of depression and anxiety and we can move beyond symptom management: by understanding past experiences, as they relate to your life in the present. A pattern is, something that repeats itself, we will work together to dismantle patterns that no longer serve you. What you will not find, in your work with me, is a one-sized fits all manualized approach, that is increasingly becoming the norm in therapeutic treatment. We will develop your capacity to manage difficult emotions but also for you to have access to a full range of feelings, including more 'positive' ones.
