My Approach
As mentioned, I am a holistic Therapist in that I believe we are whole beings, mind-body-soul and should be treated as such. That means that my approach incorporates an understanding of how all the parts of us humans (brain, body, emotions, thoughts/mind) and our past experiences can impact our current experience. I am eclectic in my approach in that I pull from various therapeutic modalities in order to tailor my work to each unique individual I work with.
The foundation of my work is relational. My goal is to connect with my clients with warmth, empathy, authenticity and compassion. I believe in meeting people where they are at, creating space for my clients to show up in all their authenticity. All of you is welcome!
Although my work is tailored to my client’s individual experience and needs, there are some similarities regarding my process. Coping is always important but that’s just the beginning. Once we figure out what works for you, we can begin to explore the roots of your experience together. I work in an embodied way and so we will likely be getting to know your nervous system and how your body holds/reacts to experience by tuning into the body and observing sensations. We can then explore how we might support your system in order to help it work for you and not against you, throughout our work together and in your life in general. We will also likely be exploring your experience of your thoughts and emotions. This will involve noticing your relationship to your inner experience (thoughts/emotions/sensations) and how your brain has made meaning out of the experiences you’ve encountered. This will all occur while taking into account the context of your life, your history and current experience.
The way I see it is: Life grows us up and in childhood we are at the mercy of our nature (biology) and nurture (experiences). We just learn. Here’s the exciting part…Healing can be a process where we begin to grow ourselves up intentionally! Experience creates experience and although we may not be able to control what happens around us, we can become intentional with how we respond to our experiences, both internal and external. We can do this by working to regulate our energy (nervous system), processing emotional wounding and understanding and changing our conditioned patterns. Neuroplasticity states that change and growth occurs when we experience something new. The brain can actually change in response to new experience. So let’s connect and create new ways of being and thus new experiences in order to bring about the growth and change you desire.
Some of the therapeutic modalities that inform my approach are:
Somatic Psychotherapy & Somatic Experiencing
Internal Family Systems
AEDP - Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Person-Centred Therapy
Polyvagal Theory
Attachment Theory