Types of Therapy

My work can be described as: Attachment-based, Culturally Sensitive, Eclectic, Person-Focused, Psychodynamic and Trauma-Focused. I will also incorporate some CBT and DBT into our work if that is appropriate.

At this time, I treat adolescents and adults in individual sessions. Although my work is informed by the fact that we exist as parts of a greater whole (family systems), I am not seeing children, couples or families at this time.

My Particular Skill Set

Spirituality:
I have both a masters degree in counseling (an M.A.) and a Masters of Divinity (M.Div. for short).  My M.Div. is from Union Theological Seminary, an institution that is primarily Christian but progressive/liberal.  If clients want to discuss spiritual issues or how their faith impacts their life, my office is a fantastic place to do that.  My office is a particularly fantastic place to talk about old concepts of God and religion that are no longer working for you and to find new ideas that match your experiences more accurately.  If people have no spiritual life or affiliation whatsoever, that’s cool too.  It is up to my client to decide whether or not they want to bring any kind of religion or spirituality into the room; I don’t have an agenda. 

DBT:
I recently worked for a year as the lead Dialectical Behavioral Therapist at Austin Lakes Hospital’s DBT Intensive Outpatient Program.  I was trained by Lane Pedersen through PESI.  Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is a subset of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy originally developed by a woman named Marsha Linehan.  Its skills have four components: Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotional Regulation and Distress Tolerance.  DBT has become trendy in the world of therapy because it works.  It is a concrete set of skills that can help you survive difficult situations, regulate your emotions and create a life that is worth living.  There are different approaches to DBT: the approach that I have found results in the best outcomes for my clients is an adaptive and flexible approach.  If you are looking for a DBT-only or DBT-primary therapist, we are probably not a good match.  DBT is one of the tools in my toolbox but I prefer to customize my treatment plans drawing from a range of tools my clients may need rather than strictly adhering to one primary philosophy. 

Twelve Steps: 
I began my counseling career at Hazelden Betty Ford’s New York location.  I worked there for several years, both with people who were dealing with an addiction to alcohol or other drugs and with their loved ones.  If you are currently wondering if your use of alcohol or other drugs is hurting you or those you love or if someone you love’s use of alcohol or other drugs is hurting you, I can help you explore the issue as well as get connected to outside support groups.  Full disclosure: I believe in the Twelve Steps because I have seen them work again and again for people, once they figure out how to connect to a program in a way that feels authentic to them, including helping people define what a power greater than themselves means to them.  I have helped many clients connect to Twelve Step programs in authentic ways, and troubleshooting that process is actually one of my favorite things to do.  Although my personal orientation is based on the Twelve Steps, I do not force that on any of my clients.  If clients have other ways of understanding and recovering from their addictions, those concepts and ways of thinking are welcome in sessions as well.

Music:
I am both a musician and music-lover myself and understand the power music has to connect us to and help us express and understand our deepest feelings.   I also understand what it is like to be in a band and how group dynamics affect self-confidence/performance and group decision-making.  I can help you apply psychological principles to all areas of your life, including your music. 

Group therapy: 
Group therapy is an incredibly powerful modality to achieve lasting change.  In a therapy group, you have not only the benefit of the therapist as a mirror but also peers who are invested in helping you grow.  I am not currently running any groups but have extensive experience running therapy groups and will probably begin to do so in the near future, based on interest.  Some groups that I am thinking of running in the future include: a general process group, a group for people who have completed a DBT skills group in a treatment setting and are looking for continued group support, and a group for people who have completed treatment for substance use disorders in a treatment setting and are looking for continued, professionally facilitated process group support (as distinct from a Twelve Step meeting).