My therapy style combines components of different therapeutic modalities, and your current situation will determine the course of our work together. My interpersonal style is built around a brief dynamic approach in which we explore your history and your current relationships in order to look for patterns and repeating behaviors that may have been effective at one time but are no longer producing the results you expect or want. Together, we will attempt to understand how those patterns and behaviors began and what motivates you to repeat them. That understanding will guide our efforts to identify better options that can lead to more satisfying outcomes.
In the midst of that process, I often incorporate aspects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to identify what you really value in your life. This helps ensure we are working on the things that truly matter to you in the present, and we aren’t getting stuck on things that have lost importance or are no longer a priority. Another ACT strategy I employ is to mindfully recognize, explore, and welcome all feelings and emotions, both positive and negative, in order to understand what they tell us about your wants and needs. Mindfulness can also help identify what brings fulfillment and meaning to your life.
The third major component of my therapeutic work is an emphasis on self-compassion, in which we try to understand how much of your struggle comes from self-blame, guilt, and shame, compounded by the inability to offer yourself forgiveness for past mistakes. Such feelings can hinder therapy in that when improvement begins to occur, it feels undeserved or temporary. If we discover that feelings like these exist, we will work together to nurture an attitude of compassion and forgiveness for mistakes of the past and to instill hope for the future.