PSYCHOTHERAPY

 
I provide individual and couples therapy through Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center. I primarily see adults but sometimes see older teens. 

I am supervised by Rawna Romero, LMFT 41466. 4146

Many of life's problems and traumas are difficult not just in and of themselves, but because they are isolating, leaving you with the feeling that no one understands or that no one sees your struggles.  Perhaps you are seeking therapy because of an impasse in your life or your relationship.  Perhaps you feel alone with your anxiety, your loss or your sadness or feel like you are at a dead end and that it is hard to find meaning in your life.  Psychotherapy is a process in which you can find a witness and a collaborator to create new meaning and movement where you have been stuck.   
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How I practice
As a therapist, I think the relationship comes first.  What I mean by that is the work we do together requires warmth, comfort, trust, and “goodness of fit” between us.  I believe the relationship is both the safe and warm point of departure for your exploration and the soft landing place.  Studies have demonstrated that the best indicator of good therapeutic outcome is the quality of the relationship --- more important than the therapist’s years of practice, education or treatment modality.

When I work with couples I am most influenced by Emotionally-Focused Therapy both because of the research supporting it and the way it opens up new emotional pathways and connections between the partners, informed by theories of adult attachment.

I hold a non-judgmental stance of curiosity and hope to encourage your curiosity too. Sometimes intentional curiosity can help us around shame or guilt that blocks the view of what is most helpful for you to see.  I am a life-long student and currently I'm learning Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy and especially love its emphasis on an inherent healing process and optimism about our capacity for change.  I feel affinity with those in the psychology community who acknowledge that insight alone does not always equal change and that more can be done in therapy to move from simply understanding why we do what we do to cultivating the capacity to actually do things differently.  
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​How we might work together
First, I offer a free 20 minute phone call to learn a bit about your situation and give us each a chance to see if it makes sense for us to meet.  If I do not have space in my practice or if I feel your needs would be better served by someone with a different approach or expertise I will provide you with referrals.  If we do meet in my office, I'll ask you at the end of the first session if it felt ok and if you would like to move forward.  

I like to get to know you and your take on what brings you to therapy, and while doing so do two things: 1) develop our relationship as a safe container for your emotional work and 2) develop enough of a sense of you to help me determine what therapeutic tools might be most helpful to you.  I'll answer any questions you may have about the process and also work with you to define what you are seeking to resolve, heal or achieve.  We will check in regularly to ensure the process feels both safe and productive for you.