Training and Approach
I trained as a psychotherapist and counsellor at the Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy Education in London, where training included years of supervised client work and many hours of my own therapy. When I relocated to Seattle, I retrained as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor at Antioch University, for a total of nearly 10 years of training.
I value lifelong learning and seek out training that challenges and expands my knowledge and skill set. Since then, I've trained in Mentalization-Based Treatment through McLean Hospital, as well as AEDP, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and integrative trauma studies. I also regularly attend my own therapy and supervision, and am a member of consultation groups.
Therapy is a collaboration between client and therapist, with the goal of supporting the client to live a happier and healthier life. My approach to therapy is primarily person-centered, which means that you, the client, are in charge of the process.
Our work together will be guided by your goals and concerns, and along the way I will advocate for you, encourage you, and hold you accountable. I will invite you to explore your thoughts, feelings, and memories, and at times I will prod you to step outside of your comfort zone in the pursuit of new perspectives, growth, and insight. I will aim to expand your awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and experience by taking note of your body language, expressions, and other non-verbal communication.
In addition to person-centered therapy, I am trained in and draw from the following therapeutic approaches:
Psychodynamic counseling is concerned with finding insight into how and why you are struggling.
Attachment-based counseling involves building a safe relationship between therapist and client, so that feelings, thoughts, and behaviors learned in early childhood can be acknowledged and understood.
Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT) provides a framework for understanding the self in relation to the world, including the emotional and mental processes of oneself and others.
AEDP works with emotions as they're felt in the body, in the moment. Rather than just talking about feelings, we will slow down so you can experience them fully with someone alongside you, which helps them move through you and become integrated rather than staying stuck.
Body-based and somatic approaches pay attention to what the body is holding as well as what the mind remembers.
Existential counseling is focused on how a person finds meaning in their experiences.
Transpersonal counseling includes meditative, spiritual, and creative explorations.
One of my favorite books is The Gift of Therapy by Irvin Yalom, who instructs therapists "to create a new therapy for each patient… go wherever the patient goes [and] do all that is necessary to continue building trust and safety in the relationship." As I get to know you better, I will draw from all of my training, and together we will invent a therapy that works best for you.
I offer a free half-hour online consultation to help us decide if we want to work together. We will also reassess after our first three sessions to decide whether to continue. Please click on the "Contact Me" page for more information.
