Hello
Welcome
How exactly does creativity transform therapy? Creativity takes courage, and using art in therapy is one way to experiment and practice different ways of being—in a space that is safe. With or without art, I am always honored to walk with clients as they express their authentic selves to make life meaningful.
Counseling & Art Therapy
"Creativity is about making mistakes; art is about knowing which ones to keep." -Unknown
I enjoy working with older teenagers and adults, and one of the methods I use to help clients express their inner experience—if they are willing—is through artmaking. Using tangible, tactile materials can be a concrete way to make visible your experiences and feelings that seem invisible. When you can create something and see it in front of you, you can get a little distance and perspective to self-reflect. Clients do not to be "artists" to benefit from art therapy, and for those averse to art, I am also trained in talk therapy in the ways listed below.
Depression/Anxiety
As humans, I believe we make sense—even if, initially, it doesn't appear this way. I hope we can understand how your current thoughts and behaviors, which once helped you live or survive in your relationships/environment, are now getting in the way of the meaningful life you want. Together, we’ll experiment with ways of thinking and behaving that are more effective in pursuing that life.
Trauma
I gravitate toward the theories of depth and existential psychology as a way of understanding and creating meaning in our lives. I have completed the level two training of the Neuro-Affective Relational Model (NARM), which is an advanced therapeutic model that addresses complex, developmental, and relational trauma. I also integrate more practical information from a 60-hour training on responding to sexual assault and domestic violence.
Eating Disorders and Self-Harm
One of my favorite ways to understand why we engage in self-destructive behaviors is through the lens of Internal Family Systems (IFS), which views the individual human being like a family system, with parts that take on certain roles—all with the intention of protecting our younger, sensitive parts that have been wounded.
In addition, I have worked in treatment facilities and have attended several continuing education workshops where Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) was utilized, and have found it to contain a helpful philosophy for individuals struggling with eating or self-harm behaviors. I also have introductory training in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, which I use only when clients want a behavioral way of challenging entrenched patterns of avoidance—patterns that are typically a response to the anxiety that often accompanies or underlies the above behaviors.
My Philosophy
Many of us spend our whole lives running from the mistaken belief that you cannot bear the pain. But you have already borne the pain. What you have not done is feel all that you are beyond that pain.
-Kahlil Gibran
NARM Therapist
Creativity Transforms Therapy
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