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On some level, most people want to know if I have a couch, so let’s start there.
It’s pretty comfortable and yes, you can hug one of the pillows if you’re nervous.
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Here’s the waiting room. This is what you’ll see when you enter, so even though the door to this suite may seem uninviting, please come on in and help yourself to a bottle of water. There are also books, candy, music, and toys awaiting your arrival. If I’m free the door in this picture will be open, or it might be closed as shown here, as I prepare for our meeting or finish with another client. Either way, I will come out and greet you soon!
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This is me…when I had curly hair. My smile has stayed the same though and I often enjoy wearing black and grey, so it’s pretty accurate. I really enjoy the work I do and am not afraid to laugh with people or have fun in session. That said, I’m willing and able to hold onto the serious things in life and am not afraid to be with you in those deep, emotional moments.
I believe authenticity is the key to living and loving in healthful ways. In fact, I think the basis of change, is being real. When we are able to be the truest version of ourselves, it opens new choices. We can decide to continue living as we are or we can decide to live in new ways. The point is, we don’t have those options when, for whatever reason, we cannot access or express our truths. So for me, therapy is about helping people discover and live their truths.
My style is relational and systemic. This means I will be genuine in our sessions and invite you to be authentic too. It also means that our relationship matters to me and we may talk about how things are going between us. In this way I hope we will develop an open and compassionate therapeutic relationship that stimulates growth and change.
This is my therapy dog, Joey. He recently passed away after 12 1/2 years of acquiring wisdom in this world. He was an active therapy dog for over 10 years. Joey did a great job of modeling both mindfulness and authenticity. He was friendly and helped several people with their fear of dogs. Joey also co-led therapy groups with me to build social skills for children and adolescents, conflict resolution skills for adolescents, and provide support and opportunities for socialization for adults with schizophrenia.
I love and miss him.
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As a side note, the technical terms for working with a therapy animal are Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) and Animal-Assisted Activities (AAA). If you would like to learn more about AAT or AAA, you can begin your learning here: http://www.deltasociety.org/
