For more than 25 years I have been practicing as a psychotherapist in the Washington, DC metro area.
I have learned that while experience and training are helpful, nothing is more important for me to do to ensure successful psychotherapy than to listen with care and come into the process of working together with deep respect for each person (or couple) in terms of their unique struggles, their perspective, and the nuances of their story. Whether you are facing some challenges in your current daily life and relationships, or you are at a point where you need to work on resolving old issues from the past, I am dedicated to working together with you to find new ways of thinking about, understanding and navigating the issues you are facing.
Over the years I have developed specific expertise in addressing trauma issues, including Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and I have worked extensively with survivors of childhood abuse, bullying, domestic violence, sexual assault, and other types of traumatic experience. Many of my clients are folks who have worked with traumatized individuals and are currently struggling with compassion fatigue/vicarious trauma – and yes, that is a real thing! If you are seeking help because you have experienced trauma (or vicarious trauma), I welcome you, especially, to reach out. You don’t have to struggle alone!
I am an eclectic practitioner, and in addition to regular talk therapy (psychodynamic psychotherapy), I work together with each client (individuals, couples, and families) to choose, as needed from the alphabet soup of approaches to find the appropriate modalities. Those approaches include SE (Somatic Experience) CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), CGT (Complicated Grief Therapy), DNMS (Developmental Needs Meeting Strategies), BSP (Brainspotting), IMAGO, Mindfulness and Guided Meditation, among others.
Life is difficult, and we all face significant challenges both inside ourselves and when we interface with the outside world. Mental health professionals have developed many powerful tools to help us deal with these challenges, and I use as many of those tools as I can to help my clients get relief from painful feelings like anxiety and depression, and I use those tools to help people find a renewed sense of focus, energy, calm and well-being in their lives.
If this sounds promising to you – like I may be the kind of psychotherapist you are looking for — I look forward to hearing from you to see if we might be a good fit. I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have about the tools and approaches I use, or just get started together so that you can start to get some of the support you need now to find the best ways forward in your life.
As this website indicates, I also have a keen interest in the dynamics of place attachment and loss of place. I have a great deal of experience helping people process this type of loss, and my approach is based both on extensive research, and on my own experience returning to the US after an extended stay overseas. Details about my upcoming book, Losing Place can be viewed under the Book tab of this website.