Practice areas

Life stressors specializations include:

• Bereavement – loss of loved one, pets, and relationships
• College Transition – academic pressure, roommate difficulty, independent living
• Dating and Relationship Difficulties – development transitions, break-ups, poor communication skills
• Family relational issues – blended/step family integration
• Graduate School Stressors – managing/organizing schedule, dissertation difficulties, defining career paths
• Job Dissatisfaction and Career Concerns – employment pressures, dealing with difficult colleagues, poor performance
• Premarital Counseling – acquire strategies to build and maintain a healthy relationship

Types of treatment for adults

Through my education and clinical training, I have become familiar with the various treatment modalities of psychotherapy. Further, I understand the complexity of human behavior and thus there are several ways to successfully conquer the challenges that emerge in our lives. By understanding the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of treatment, I believe it my professional responsibility to practice treatment techniques validated through numerous clinical trials, using methods that are robustly supported through years of research regarding human behavior. As you read through the descriptions of the treatment models I use, I hope they peak your interest about therapy and help you determine if my style might be a good match for you.

If you like thinking systematically and rationally, creating goals and objectives, and following them up with measurable action steps you are likely a good candidate for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a relatively short-term, active treatment for a wide range of mental health issues including: depression, anxiety, anger, loneliness, panic attacks, perfectionism, procrastination, discomfort in social situations, and self-criticism. CBT has been found to be an effective form of treatment for children, adolescents and adults through decades of clinical trials. The focus of treatment is on identifying how you are thinking, feeling, and behaving in your daily life and then understanding how each dimension of these thoughts, emotions and behaviors impact one another. CBT helps people identify patterns of biases in their thinking and provides guidance on how to change these distortions that are negatively impacting their mood and/or behavior. CBT is an empowering treatment that encourages you to test out ways to challenge negative patterns of thought or behavior in between sessions, during real-life situations and under stressful situations, so that you can increase your competency and sense of efficacy in dealing with emotional issues on your own.

If you prefer a problem-solving approach with a here-and-now focus, and seek to discover what you really want and if how you are choosing to behave is actually bringing you nearer to your goal, then you might be interested in learning more about Choice Theory.

Reality Therapy, (Choice Theory):

is a short-term therapy aimed at teaching you to take control of your life. Believing that human behavior is purposeful and internally driven, Choice Theorists emphasize the creation of a successful identity which promotes confidence, assertiveness and resistance to external influence and control. Through the empowerment process, you are encouraged to focus on current behaviors and beliefs, make positive value judgments, and most importantly concentrate on what is right and wrong for your self. Through the acquisition of skill and knowledge, coupled with the creation of satisfying interpersonal relationships, you increase competency and ability to fulfill your needs. Reality therapy is more than a counseling technique. It is a problem solving method that works well with people who are experiencing problems they want help solving, as well as those who are having problems and appear to not want any assistance. Reality therapy also provides an excellent model for helping individuals solve their own problems objectively and serves as the ideal questioning series during coaching sessions.

Treatment services for children and adolescents

I offer individual treatment and family therapy for children and adolescents, in addition to parenting consultation for a range of mental health concerns and life stressors detailed below:

Diagnostic specialization includes:

• Anxiety
• Depression, ect.
• Academic Pressures and poor school performance
• Post-Adoption Issues and Parent-Child Attachment Related Concerns
• Substance experimentation and abuse
• Bereavement
• Divorce and blended family integration
• Parenting Conflicts and interpersonal Dilemmas (e.g., conflicts with spouse or partner about how to discipline, excessive worry about how to parent your child, difficulties handling your child’s new stage of development)
• Trauma (e.g., childhood physical or sexual abuse, car accident)