Therapy Services for Adults, Adolescents, Couples, and Families
Assessment
A thoughtful and thorough assessment of your situation and what brings you to seek therapy is the first step to feeling better. Different problems require different types of treatments, so it is important to have a highly trained and experienced therapist to accurately assess your situation and provide effective treatment. An assessment consultation gives you the opportunity to get to know the therapist while also providing the therapist with important information. Finding a “good fit” is important for successful therapy. Together, we will evaluate the possibilities for treatment, enabling you to make an informed decision on the goals, time frame, and therapeutic style of treatment. Assessments typically range from one to three sessions.
Psychotherapy and Psychoanalytic Treatment
Many forms of therapy focus on treating the symptoms associated with a wide range of life challenges. For instance, making a to-do list if you feel anxious, or counting to ten if you struggle with losing your temper. Psychodynamic treatment goes to another level and is different from most other therapies. We will work to understand the origin of your problems and difficulties, and how these patterns and ways of thinking are influencing you today, so that you can reduce the symptoms and alleviate pain and stress. Psychotherapy helps to change the relationship you have with yourself, providing long-term solutions to your problems so that you can live a freer and more contented life.
For the past 20 years, I have helped people with personal and professional challenges, often brought to light during times of stress or transition. These challenges include a wide range of mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, trauma, and relationship difficulties. These symptoms are often triggered by life transitions, such as relocating, becoming a parent, bereavement, changing jobs, getting married or divorced, deteriorating health, or other life events that impact people in various ways.
Working with Adolescents and Their Families
One of the most challenging transitions in life is adolescence. Teenagers strive to grow up and “separate” from their parents, while parents strive to provide a safe environment with appropriate boundaries while also giving freedom to grow. The path is fraught with emotions, hormones, and feelings on both sides. Adolescents communicate emotional distress in many ways, often expressing emotional pain by acting out instead of verbalizing it. Examples include eating issues, problems with schoolwork, peer relationships, family relationships, aggressive or impulsive behavior, sexual promiscuity, or experimentation with drugs and/or alcohol. Some of these signs are “normal,” but some may need to be evaluated, especially if there is an increase in intensity and if the behavior interferes with school or family life. It is important that adolescents with mental health problems receive treatment early so that they can continue to develop in a healthy way.
