My approach is fundamentally relational, collaborative and strengths-based, regardless of what is bringing you and/or your family to therapy. The nuances of my approach will vary from client to client, as I believe in the importance of individualizing the therapeutic process. I value effectiveness and welcome ongoing open, transparent communication to ensure that the therapy is meeting your needs. I utilize my training in a variety of evidence-based therapies, as well as my deep respect for and trust in the therapeutic relationship, to create an individualized treatment plan that makes sense to everyone involved.
I specialize in treating eating disorders as well as subclinical disordered eating patterns, emotion dysregulation and stress management, and relationship difficulties.
Eating Disorders: I provide therapy for Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating Disorder and Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), as well as other difficulties that one might be experiencing with food. I am passionate about helping people understand the complex nature of their relationship with food and the role that this might be playing in helping to manage and cope with other aspects of the lived experience. Eating disorder therapy, while very individualized, typically includes education about the factors that increase a person’s vulnerability to developing an eating disorder, exploration of the function(s) that the eating disorder behaviors are currently serving, exploration of unmet wants and needs in relationships, skill building, exposure practices, and embodiment work.
Additionally, when working with adolescents I provide family-based therapy (FBT), which is focused on supporting and empowering parents to play a vital role in the recovery process. I have worked extensively with parent and families, providing education and therapeutic support as they navigate their adolescent's eating disorder recovery.
People recovering from eating disorders often benefit from working with an interdisciplinary care team. I have experience coordinating care within a team and am committed to doing this with all of my clients, if desired. I can also provide referrals in order to establish a team.
Emotion Dysregulation and Stress Management: “Emotion dysregulation” is a therapeutic term commonly used to describe difficulty modulating one’s emotion, despite efforts to do so. If you struggle with this you might find that you experience emotions very intensely and that at times your emotions feel “out of control”. You may also find that when experiencing emotions you behave in ways that you regret, or that in an effort to manage or avoid your emotions you end up using behaviors that are harmful to you, such as drinking alcohol, using drugs, engaging in self-injury or even thinking about suicide. I offer education about the factors that contribute to emotion dysregulation, both biological and environmental, as well as an individualized approach that will help improve emotion regulation, which will in turn improve the quality of relationships and many other areas in life. I also enjoy supporting clients in reducing and effectively managing stress and take an individualized approach to this work.
Relationship Patterns and Experiences: Connection is critical to our well-being, as are the experiences of feeling seen, understood and valued for who we truly are. We depend on our relationships to provide these experiences, and when this is compromised or absent it is very difficult. Using a non-judgmental, strengths-based approach I work with couples and families to address a variety of issues. I strive to help clients identify the problematic patterns that are showing up in their relationships, understand the transactional nature of these, and replace these with more effective, connection-enhancing ways of interacting. In addition to couples and family therapy, I also provide individual therapy for relationship difficulties. Using an integrative approach, I help clients identify and work towards having more of the relationship experiences that they desire, often rooted in greater connection and emotional intimacy, and use the therapeutic relationship as a primary resource.