Therapeutic Specialties
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Addiction can start as a way of coping or as a response to stress, but over time, it can develop into an overwhelming force that takes control of your life. It can take many forms, from substance abuse to compulsive behaviors, impacting your thoughts, emotions, and actions. Over time, it can lead to feelings of helplessness and being trapped in a cycle that feels impossible to break.
Addiction can also strain personal relationships, work performance, and financial stability, leaving individuals feeling isolated and disconnected. The constant fear of relapse and the overwhelming cravings or withdrawals can add to the emotional burden, making it hard to move forward.
Recovery from addiction is a journey that requires time, patience, and determination. Therapy provides the necessary support and tools to help you break free, allowing you to build a healthier life.
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ADHD can make it difficult to focus, organize thoughts, and stay on task. Individuals may struggle with restlessness, fidgeting, and impulsivity, which can impact their ability to complete daily tasks and maintain relationships. These challenges often affect academic or professional success and may lead to low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression.
People with ADHD may also experience difficulty regulating emotions and controlling impulses, which can complicate their daily lives. These struggles can make it harder to achieve long-term goals or maintain consistency in various aspects of life.
Therapy offers strategies, tools, and routines to manage these challenges, helping individuals with ADHD build better coping mechanisms. It also encourages embracing ADHD traits as strengths, like creativity, hyperfocus, and problem-solving skills, and finding ways to work with them rather than against them.
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Anxiety is characterized by feelings of fear, worry, and unease that can range from mild to severe, and it can be triggered by a variety of factors, including stress, trauma, or a medical condition.
People with anxiety may experience physical symptoms, such as a rapid heartbeat, sweating, or trembling, as well as emotional symptoms, such as excessive worry or fear. These symptoms can interfere with daily activities, including work, school, and social interactions.
It is important to seek help if you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety, as early intervention can lead to better outcomes.
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Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder characterized by extreme mood swings, including periods of mania or hypomania (high energy) followed by depression (low mood). These shifts can disrupt relationships, work, and daily life, making stability difficult to maintain.
While the exact causes are unclear, bipolar disorder is believed to result from a mix of genetic, neurological, and environmental factors. Stress and brain chemistry can trigger episodes, which may vary in frequency and intensity.
Therapy can help individuals with bipolar disorder by providing strategies to manage mood swings, improve emotional regulation, and develop coping skills for navigating both manic and depressive episodes.
Click here to read the bipolar page -
Individuals with BPD often experience intense mood swings, including feelings of emptiness, anger, and anxiety. These emotional struggles can lead to impulsive behaviors, such as substance abuse or self-harm.
The fear of abandonment can also create instability in relationships, making it difficult to maintain stable connections.
BPD can impact daily life, but therapy provides tools to manage symptoms. Through therapy, individuals can develop coping strategies, reduce impulsivity, and build healthier relationships, improving emotional stability and well-being.
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Career dissatisfaction can lead to stress, frustration, and confusion about your professional path. Whether you're feeling stuck in your current job or struggling to find work that aligns with your values, these challenges can take a toll on your emotional well-being.
In therapy, we will explore the root causes of your dissatisfaction and develop strategies to help you reconnect with your passions and goals. Together, we’ll work to create a plan that brings clarity, focus, and confidence to your career journey.
Let’s explore how you can create a career that feels fulfilling and aligned with your true self.
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A common misconception about caregiving is that caregivers should manage everything without showing stress or fatigue. This unrealistic expectation often prevents caregivers from seeking the support they need. While caregiving is seen as a natural responsibility, it’s emotionally and physically draining, requiring constant adjustment.
Many caregivers find themselves unprepared for the emotional, physical, and logistical challenges they face. There’s also a belief that they must sacrifice their well-being for their loved ones. However, neglecting self-care leads to burnout, reducing their ability to provide effective care.
Recognizing the importance of self-care is essential for both the caregiver’s health and the well-being of those they care for. Balancing personal care with caregiving responsibilities is crucial for sustaining the role.
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Couples counseling aims to improve communication, resolve conflicts, and strengthen relationships or help couples part ways amicably. In sessions, couples discuss issues, communication patterns, and relationship goals.
It’s helpful for those experiencing difficulties like trust issues or communication problems, as well as couples wanting to deepen their connection.
Through counseling, couples can learn new communication skills, conflict management strategies, and ways to improve intimacy. I provide feedback and guidance to help couples better understand each other’s needs and emotions.
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Depression is a mental health disorder marked by persistent sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest in previously enjoyable activities.
Symptoms can include fatigue, changes in appetite and sleep, difficulty concentrating, and feelings of worthlessness. It can also cause physical issues like headaches or digestive problems.
Therapy offers a safe space to explore the emotional pain behind depression and develop healthier coping strategies. It helps you understand negative thought patterns, manage overwhelming emotions, and reconnect with life’s joys. Therapy isn’t about "getting over it," but about learning to navigate through the lows more effectively.
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People with disabilities and chronic illness face unique challenges and may require accommodations to fully participate in society, including in the workplace, education, and public spaces. These challenges can impact mental health, leading to feelings of isolation, low self-esteem, and anxiety.
Therapy provides a supportive space to address these issues, build coping strategies, and promote emotional well-being. I help individuals navigate the emotional toll of chronic pain, illness, and disability, offering practical tools for daily life.
Together, we can work on building essential skills, improving communication, and fostering resilience.
Click to read the disability, chronic pain, and illness page
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Dissociation, depersonalization, derealization, and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) are complex experiences often rooted in trauma, stress, or overwhelming emotions. They involve feelings of disconnection from oneself or reality, which can be disorienting and distressing. For some, this may include feeling detached from one’s own body, losing sense of time, or experiencing gaps in memory.
These conditions can make it difficult to maintain a consistent sense of self, leading to confusion, isolation, and emotional distress. They often interfere with daily life, relationships, and emotional well-being.
Understanding these experiences is the first step in managing them. Therapy can help build grounding techniques, emotional regulation skills, and provide support in navigating dissociation’s impact on your life.
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Eating disorders are complex conditions that impact both the mind and body. They can involve restrictive eating, compulsive overeating, purging, or an intense focus on food and body image. These behaviors often stem from deeper emotional struggles like trauma, perfectionism, or a need for control.
In therapy, I provide a compassionate, judgment-free space to explore the roots of your eating disorder. We’ll work together to address the thoughts and emotions driving disordered eating and replace harmful patterns with healthier coping strategies.
Whether dealing with long-standing challenges or early signs of disordered eating, I’m here to support you in building resilience and finding balance.
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Pregnancy, infertility, and postpartum struggles are often seen as physical experiences, but mental health is just as important. It's common to feel isolated, anxious, or depressed during these times, and these emotions are natural responses to the stress and uncertainty of conception, pregnancy, and parenthood.
A common misconception is that mental health struggles during fertility treatments or pregnancy are rare. In reality, emotional difficulties like grief, frustration, and anxiety are significant parts of these journeys, especially for trans and gender-diverse individuals.
Therapy helps build emotional resilience, empowering you to manage the ups and downs of this transformative time.
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Grief is a natural response to loss, but it’s often misunderstood. It can involve a mix of emotions, like sadness, anger, and even moments of relief, and can resurface unexpectedly. These fluctuations are normal.
Many believe grief only relates to death, but it can also come from other losses, like the end of a relationship, job loss, or a change in identity. Grief doesn’t follow a set timeline, and it's important to recognize that it’s about learning to carry the loss while continuing to live.
Therapy offers a safe space to process grief, develop healthy coping strategies, and move forward at your own pace.
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Therapy for LGBTQQIA+ individuals is tailored to address the unique challenges related to identity and experiences with discrimination or social issues. It provides a safe space to explore gender identity, sexual orientation, and related emotions.
I offer support for those questioning or coming to terms with their identity, helping individuals develop self-acceptance and pride. Therapy can guide you in understanding yourself better and building confidence in your identity.
As a queer and transgender therapist, you won’t need to educate me on gender or sexual orientation. This is your space to explore, build resilience, and improve mental health.
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Neurodivergence refers to natural variations in how people think, process information, and experience the world, including conditions like autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. These differences are strengths rather than deficits, but neurodivergent individuals often face barriers in a society that prioritizes neurotypical norms.
Many neurodivergent individuals struggle with executive functioning, sensory sensitivities, emotional regulation, and social interactions, leading to frustration and burnout. The pressure to adapt to neurotypical environments can create feelings of isolation and self-doubt.
A neurodiversity-affirming approach values these unique abilities and emphasizes support and acceptance, allowing neurodivergent individuals to thrive and contribute to a more inclusive, creative society.
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Self-harm is often a coping mechanism for emotional pain or distress. Therapy can help you break this cycle by providing tools and support to develop healthier coping strategies.
We will explore triggers for self-harm behavior and focus on improving self-esteem and self-worth. Therapy will also help you build mindfulness, distress tolerance, and emotional regulation skills to manage your emotions in a healthier way.
I understand that stopping self-harm can feel overwhelming, but I’m here to help you develop safer coping strategies and work toward healing and self-compassion.
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Trauma occurs when someone experiences a threatening or dangerous event, such as abuse, accidents, or violence. It can have physical, emotional, or psychological effects that impact daily life.
Common symptoms include anxiety, depression, flashbacks, nightmares, and feelings of detachment. Trauma can vary from person to person, and its impact depends on individual factors like age, gender, and background.
Seeking help for trauma is a courageous step. Therapy provides tools and support to manage symptoms, develop coping strategies, and begin the healing process, helping you move forward with strength.
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OCD is often misunderstood as simply being about cleanliness or organization, but it involves much more. It includes intrusive thoughts, fears, and compulsions that disrupt daily life, beyond the stereotypical rituals of orderliness.
Many believe OCD can be overcome with willpower, but it’s a chronic condition that requires professional treatment. People with OCD don’t enjoy their rituals; they are driven by intense anxiety, and the relief is often short-lived, followed by guilt.
The disorder also involves intrusive thoughts, which can be equally disruptive and cause emotional distress. Understanding OCD’s complexity is key to providing support.
Click here to read the OCD Page -
Living with the impacts of oppression can be overwhelming, leading to feelings of isolation, self-doubt, and emotional distress. Microaggressions, which are often overlooked or dismissed, can accumulate and amplify these feelings, making it difficult for individuals to feel seen or validated.
Therapy offers a space to process these experiences and begin healing. Together, we can explore how oppression and microaggressions have shaped your life, challenge internalized beliefs, and develop tools for resilience.
By addressing the emotional and psychological impact of systemic harm, therapy can help you build a stronger, more empowered sense of self.
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Parenting is both rewarding and demanding, filled with love, connection, and growth, but also moments of frustration and exhaustion. Balancing your needs with those of your children requires patience, resilience, and support.
In therapy, we’ll address the unique challenges you face, exploring your child's developmental stages, managing behavioral concerns, and improving communication. Together, we’ll identify areas for adjustment in your family dynamic.
This process isn’t just about parenting techniques; it’s about nurturing your own well-being and building stronger connections with your children. Therapy helps you feel more confident and supported in your parenting journey.
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The teenage years are a time of change and growth but can also bring challenges, like academic pressures, social struggles, and identity questions. It’s common to experience stress, anxiety, or self-doubt, and navigating these emotions can feel isolating.
In therapy, I help teens explore their experiences and develop healthier coping strategies. Whether managing stress, navigating relationships, or building confidence, I provide a nonjudgmental space where teens feel heard and supported.
Therapy can be a powerful tool for self-discovery, helping teens build emotional resilience and confidence during this transformative time.