Insurance providers often limit the number of sessions you can have, require specific diagnoses to be made, or dictate the type of therapy that can be used for them to be willing to pay for treatment. This can be challenging for therapists who want to provide the best possible care for their clients without being restricted by these requirements. Sometimes, what the insurance company wants to pay for just isn’t what’s in the best interest of you as the client! Another factor to consider is the issue of confidentiality. When you use insurance to pay for therapy, your insurance company has access to your diagnosis and treatment plan. This means that your personal information could potentially be shared with others, such as your employer or other healthcare providers.

How often you attend therapy is dependent on your individual needs. My style of therapy is very flexible and client centered, meaning my main goal is to do what feels best to you. Most clients begin with weekly therapy and slowly titrate to biweekly and eventually monthly therapy when it makes sense for them.

Each session can either be 50 or 90 minutes long depending on individual need. I often recommend 90 minute sessions for EMDR and relational therapy to ensure there is enough time to address goals and employ meaningful work.

Therapy looks different for everybody. My style is client-centered meaning I will provide individualized treatment depending on what your needs, goals, and desires are.

Therapy is a very rewarding process that is accompanied with pain, grief, and heartbreak. It requires us to unpeel the layers and see and experience things that can be uncomfortable or scary at times. At times, it can feel like things get worse before they get better. But, we have to feel to heal!

Have you ever thought to yourself: ‘Others have it worse than me’; ‘I should get over this’; ‘I’m just too sensitive, I shouldn’t be bothered by this anymore’. It’s normal to feel this way after a traumatic experience. Trauma can apply to any situation in which we felt unprepared, violated, unsupported, or out of control. Trauma can be anything we experience that is less than nurturing and impacts our view of ourselves, others, and the world around us.

Attachment is the bond and connection between people, making it one of the main building blocks of who we are: how we experience ourselves and the world around us. When our emotional and connection needs are unmet we develop a sense of unsafety and distress in our relationships. This can look anything like anxiety, avoidance, people pleasing, ‘shutting down’ when there’s conflict, hyperindependence, codependence, commitment issues, not trusting others, etc. The list could go on! Basically it’s any feeling or behavior that’s triggered when we feel distressed or threatened in a relationship and we react subconsciously (or sometimes even consciously!) as a way to protect ourselves, and avoid the perceived stressor and threat.

An important part of this is how we often learn that emotions are ‘bad’ or unsafe causing us to exile or avoid those parts of ourselves, because those needs are ignored, neglected, punished, or simply because our caregivers may not have had the skills to meet them themselves. Not only does this impact our ability to have meaningful, authentic relationships with others, it also impacts our ability to feel safe in our relationship with ourselves. This can result in anxiety, , perfectionism, and many maladaptive coping skills (addiction, self-harm, eating disorders, etc.) rooted in shame telling us we’re not enough, we’re a failure, or we’re broken.

In a very simplified nutshell, this is why attachment is fundamental to therapy. Whether we’re wanting more meaningful relationships with our partner, parents, children, or ourselves it’s crucial to explore and heal those inner wounds to allow us liberation and space to exist in a way that feels authentic and meaningful.

Therapy isn’t one-size-fits all or a silver bullet that ‘fixes’ everything. It’s crucial to stay engaged in ‘healthy’ (whatever that means for you) habits to get the most out of therapy. Getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, moving your body in a way that feels good to you, eating consistently and nutritiously are all good places to start. Additionally, I always recommend the good ‘ol fashion trick of being patient, kind, and compassionate with yourself throughout your healing journey!

Some of the most meaningful work I do is with minors and their families. I have always loved it! With that said, I fully expect caregivers to play an active role in the process. This doesn’t mean you will attend therapy with them every week, but there will be times I ask you to join or even attend without your child. Your involvement is one of the key determining factors for their growth, change, and success.

I do respect your child’s privacy and confidentiality, so while I will not share specifics about our sessions ,I will always keep you informed and part of the process, whether you regularly attend session or not.

When it comes to issues of safety (self-harm, suicidal ideation, etc.) I have a no-secrets policy where I will always disclose this to guardians.

Currently I work M-W and have a fairly flexible schedule dependent on client need. I work long, late days Mondays and Tuesdays, with a more ‘regular’ work type day on Wednesdays. I have both early morning and late evening availability for those with limitations around school and work.