Anxiety

Being overcome with racing, negative thoughts can put anyone's life on hold. Avoiding triggering situations will temporarily relive anxiety, just for it to come back stronger next time. Following a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach, one is able to understand the connection between one's thoughts, feelings and actions. This will allow space for challenging and replacing negative thoughts that are, almost always, unhelpful and untrue. 

Autism

Challenges engaging in social situations, understanding social cues and norms, connecting with one's own feelings, restrictive and repetative behaviors and difficulties with transitions and unexpected changes are some of the key components of Autism. When working with individuals diagnosed with Autism, I find most success when caregivers and family members are included in the therapeutic process. This contributes to implementation of social skills, life skills and behavioral management. 

Trauma

A traumatic event is defined as being exposed to actual or threatened death, sexual assault and a serious injury. This event can happen directly to the individual, witnessing this event or knowing that this event happened to a close family member or friend. Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is an approach used for children ages 3-18. For adults, I also utilize an Attachment approach and Forward Facing Trauma Therapy to help individuals understand how trauma is stored in the body and how early attachments and bonding contribute to how one copes with traumatic events. 

Interpersonal Conflict

When one family member is struggling, they do not struggle alone. This often impacts the rest of the family dynamic in some way. I follow a Structural Family Therapy approach to aid in the repair of relationships and enhance understanding of one another. I am also trained in Nurtured Heart Parenting, which follows a cirriculum based program set on the principles of discipline, empathy, power and independence, expectations and family roles.