Therapeutic Philosophy

As social beings, fulfilling and satisfying relationships are crucial for emotional health and well-being. Internalized messages from past relationships and broader sociopolitical experiences, coupled with external pressures in our constantly changing environments, deeply influence how you connect in your work, studies, social groups, family, and other interpersonal dynamics.

The core of relational work is to empower you to gain deeper insight into your behavior within relationships and understand how these patterns impact your mental and emotional state. Together, we will explore your relational self, unconscious influences, and cultivate greater self-awareness, enabling you to show up more authentically in all areas of your life. I believe you will find our work together engaging and illuminating. 

If you are new to psychotherapy, this quick video explains the process. 

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Treatment Approaches

Some of the treatment approaches I use, but are not limited to:

  • Psychodynamic therapy is a form of talk therapy focused on learning how the person's subconscious thoughts, feelings, and memories are affecting their current behavior. With this deepened insight and self-awareness, they can develop coping techniques and achieve therapeutic goals such as improving relationships and making better choices.

  • Relational therapy, also known as relational-cultural therapy, is a type of psychotherapy that emphasizes the importance of relationships and their influence on an individual’s well-being. In relational therapy, the therapist encourages exploration of a person’s interaction with others and how these relationships impact their everyday life.

  • Psychoanalysis is a method of therapy in which the patient talks about experiences, early childhood, and dreams. It refers to both a theory and a type of therapy based on the belief that all people possess unconscious thoughts, feelings, desires, and memories.

  • A culturally competent therapist should recognize and respect the beliefs, perspectives, and values of clients from a particular race, ethnicity, or region.

    A culturally sensitive therapist should be confident in their knowledge and skills. Their clients should also be confident that the therapist is able to address topics like white privilege or oppression.

    Cultural sensitivity isn’t just about race. A culturally competent therapist should be comfortable addressing things like:

    • Age

    • Developmental disabilities

    • Disabilities that develop later in life

    • Indigenous heritage

    • National origin

    • Racial identity

    • Ethnic identity

    • Gender

    • Socioeconomic status

    • Sexual orientation

  • Humanistic psychology is a perspective that emphasizes looking at the whole individual and stresses concepts such as free will, self-efficacy, and self-actualization.

    Rather than concentrating on dysfunction, humanistic psychology strives to help people fulfill their potential and maximize their well-being.

  • Interpersonal therapy (IPT) techniques help you learn about yourself and work on the relationships in your life.1 Working with a therapist, you will get a better understanding of your thoughts and feelings, as well as those of the people around you. If you have a specific mental health condition like depression or are going through a major emotional change, interpersonal therapy techniques can help you in your day-to-day life as well as in the long term.

  • Cross-cultural psychology is a branch of psychology that looks at how cultural factors influence human behavior. While many aspects of human thought and behavior are universal, cultural differences can lead to often surprising differences in how people think, feel, and act.

  • Strengths-based therapy is an approach to psychotherapy treatment based in positive psychology. It focuses on a person's existing resources, resilience, and positive qualities, then uses these abilities to improve their quality of life and reduce problematic symptoms.

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy combines cognitive therapy with behavior therapy by identifying maladaptive patterns of thinking, emotional responses, or behaviors and replacing them with more desirable or helpful patterns

  • Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a modified type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Its main goals are to teach people how to live in the moment, develop healthy ways to cope with stress, regulate their emotions, and improve their relationships with others.

  • Attachment therapy explores how someone's childhood experiences might affect their ability to form meaningful bonds as an adult. Though attachment therapy is often recommended for those who have had negative childhood experiences, anyone struggling to foster deep connections with others might benefit.

  • Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) helps people understand their attachments to others to improve their relationships. It is based on the psychology of attachment bonds.

  • The Enneagram is a typology system that describes human personality as a number of interconnected personality types.

  • Existentialism is a philosophy of human nature that identifies people as having free will to determine the course of their lives. It emphasizes individual responsibility to create meaning rather than relying on a higher power or religion to determine what is important, valuable, or morally right.

  • Feminist therapy is a type of psychotherapy specializing in gender and examining the stressors that women experience due to biases, discrimination, and other areas that may affect one’s mental health. 

  • Motivational interviewing is a counseling approach designed to help people find the motivation to make a positive behavior change. This client-centered approach is particularly effective for people who have mixed feelings about changing their behavior.

  • Positive psychology focuses on how to help human beings prosper and lead healthy, happy lives. While many other branches of psychology tend to focus on dysfunction and abnormal behavior, positive psychology is centered on helping people become happier.

  • Brainspotting therapy is a type of alternative therapy that uses spots in a person’s visual field to help them process trauma. It accesses trauma trapped in the subcortical brain, the area of the brain responsible for motion, consciousness, emotions, and learning.