I am skilled at working with a wide range of individual adults, couples, and adolescents who are experiencing a variety of problems and life transitions. With my support and guidance, you can transform difficulties commonly encountered at different life stages into opportunities for growth and healing. Particular areas of expertise include:

 

• Stress, anxiety, and depression -These days it’s all too easy to feel stressed. Anxiety and depression may be a natural response to a difficult situation, or a sign that something deeper in your life is not working. Learn how to keep from being overwhelmed by your emotions as well as how to understand feelings as keys to healing and growth.
• Couples counseling and relationship problems - Do you miss what you once had? Whether you are feeling the pain of too much distance or too much conflict, the deep connection and communication made possible in the safe presence of a therapist can help you rediscover what you’ve lost. I welcome couples of any sexual orientation or marital status, as well as individuals who are ready to explore their relationship patterns. I  also have expertise working with ruptures in women’s friendships, and with parents and adult children who want to develop better relationships.
• Parenting - Raising kids is often joyous yet challenging. Parenting can stir up old issues about your own upbringing; scramble your sense of identity; strain (and strengthen) your relationship; and create a constant juggling act between your own and others’ needs. Therapy can provide the ideal space to help you keep your balance on the parenting tightrope.
• The empty nest - You know the wisdom of giving both roots and wings to your children, but letting go can be one of the most heart-wrenching tasks you face as a parent. As your child embarks on discovering his or her independent identity, you may feel as if you’ve lost your own. Perhaps you’re wondering how to reconnect with your partner after all those years of focusing on the kids. Feelings of grief and loss are normal. But with time and support, you can discover how the empty nest offers you the chance to rekindle old dreams and develop new ones.
• Teens and emerging adults - The period of adolescence through young adulthood is a rich and exciting time of discovering who you are in a vastly expanded world beyond the sometimes narrow confines of home. It can also be a time of uncertainty and anxiety, tension with parents, changing views of friends and yourself, and new responsibilities and challenges. I can help you safely navigate this pivotal period.
• Emotional aspects of overeating - What are you stuffing down with food? What are you really hungry for? Overeating is often a way of coping with distress. As a seasoned therapist and Weight Watchers member, I know how to approach body and food issues from the inside out and the outside in. Together we will get to the bottom of what’s really eating you, and find new ways to truly nourish yourself.
• Grief, loss, and suicide bereavement - The death of someone you love can be devastating. Your feelings are normal, and although nothing will bring back your loved one, sharing your pain can help you bear it. If you have lost someone to suicide, you may feel especially shattered. I have particular expertise in suicide bereavement, and can help you through the grieving process.
• Recovery from a difficult childhood - Perhaps you grew up in a chaotic, abusive, neglectful, or alcoholic family, or with parents who were absent or woefully misattuned. Maybe you faced hardships such as poverty, serious illness, or bullying. When childhood burdens are significant, you may grow up to feel unlovable, unworthy, ashamed, and overly responsible. It can be enormously healing to share your experience with someone who can bear compassionate witness to your pain. In therapy, we explore long-buried feelings and memories not to dwell on them, but to understand how your childhood has affected you, for better and for worse. Coming to terms with the past can help you embrace your present and future. 

 

Please contact me if you would like further information or to set up an initial therapy session. I look forward to hearing from you.