Individual Psychotherapy

As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, I have 23 years experience and advanced training in helping men and women work through difficulties arising out of depression and/or anxiety which can show up in one's life as

• low self-esteem
• conflicts in relationships
• feelings of despondency or hopelessness
• compulsive and/or addictive problems including sexual addictions
• somatic issues such as chronic diseases, psychosomatic disturbances, eating disorders, body-image and/or body-dysmorphic tendencies
• excessive anger
• ongoing feelings of grief
• ongoing feelings of fear

Some people come to me because they feel to be in an emotional crisis, others aren't in crisis, but have a more general feeling of dissatisfaction and want to find a way to experience more meaning in life and relationships. Many of the people who come to me have had previous therapy which was helpful, but not sufficient - they came to me to take their work to a deeper level.

If you are struggling with the aftermath of loss, such as loss of a loved-one, a job, or a change in your life circumstances, you may be experiencing surprisingly forceful emotional reactions. Getting help to understand and work with these reactions can save you a great deal of time and unnecessarily extended pain.

Sometimes we reach out for therapy, not because of a specific loss, but because pain has become chronic and we hope that with help, life can be more satisfying. Perhaps losses or traumas occurred a very long time ago such as with the family circumstances you grew up in, or childhood medical problems. Perhaps you aren't aware of any specific reason as to why you are in pain. Psychotherapy can help you make more sense of your life and your dreams.

If, as a child, you lived through abuse, neglect or both, or endured unavoidable circumstances related to health or politics, it is likely that these difficulties had a large impact on your self-image and character. The patterns you developed to cope with these difficulties were essential at one point in your life, but are likely to now interfere with the possibility of growing and moving forward. Psychotherapy can help you recognize and alter the patterns that have become terribly costly at this point in your life. Whatever the difficulty was during your childhood, you don't have to live the rest of your life under the shadow of those memories. With the help of a psychotherapist you can learn to draw on strengths you may not yet recognize, and cultivate an internal experience of being able to creatively use your good mind to make choices that support you in your life. The very elements that once diminished your sense of self can deepen your rich character.