“We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are”
–The Talmud

Therapies

Each person needs a specific combination of modalities that tailors toward their personality and comfort level. As an integrative therapist who has trained in multiple methods, I intuitively draw upon the combination of approaches that will be most efficient and beneficial to you and in helping you meet your goals.


Gestalt Therapy- is a holistic, direct and creative therapy which focuses on helping you connnect wtih yourself and others in the present moment. It is an experiential, existential and experimental therapy. Gestalt addresses both verbal and nonverbal styles and involves helping you become more aware of your emotions through work with breathing, movement patterns, feelings and sensations. In Gestalt therapy you will learn to get in touch with your emotions in the moment and experiment with new patterns rather than only analyzing your past. This therapy is very useful if you feel disconnected from your body and your feelings or tend to intellectualize your problems. It also helps many people who have been in other therapies but haven’t been able to make changes from intellectual awareness alone.

Psychodynamic Therapy- addresses the impact of early childhood conflicts on your current life by helping you become more aware of their influences. Uncovering these recurring patterns can help you avoid repeating them in your present life. I use aspects of psychodynamic therapy when these patterns emerge in the moment.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT including Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP)- addresses the effect your automatic thought patterns and actions have on your moods and behaviors. CBT often involves using worksheets and homework to help you identify and challenge your particular thought patterns. The behavioral component involves designing situations in and out of session (exposure therapy) which will challenge your automatic assumptions by having you face those situations that you fear. This therapy is very effective in helping people master their anxieties and regain their lives. CBT has been proven to be one of the most effective treatments for OCD and anxiety related disorders including PTSD, panic attacks, addictions and phobias.

Read more about how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help.

Developmental Somatic Psychotherapy- the premise of this therapy is that during the first year of life we each develop particular styles of moving and relating to our caregivers which continue to manifest in our adult bodies and in how we relate to the world. You hold your particular relational style and the story of your life in your body (for example in your gestures and expressions) and we will look at how your styles help and hinder you from getting what you want for yourself and from others. This work adds a very deep level of working through entrenched patterns and helping you become more in touch with your body and/or any physical or somatic difficulties you have. It can help you heal by introducing new ways to experiment with and/or modify your existing patterns in ways that may yield more satisfying results.  
http://www.somaticstudies.com/dsp.html

Mindfulness /Meditative Approaches-
Mindfulness is a way of paying very precise attention to what we are doing in the present moment. We pay attention to our thoughts, sensations, reactions and judgments as they occur.  By seeing our identification with our thoughts and feelings, we become aware of  space that exists for new reactions, which ultimately can create new perceptions, new moods and new states of mind. Meditation reduces stress, strengthens our immune systems and helps us master the mental and physical terrain of our being. I am trained in MBSR (mindfulness meditation stress reduction) and various eastern traditions of meditation.