I work with my patients to set treatment goals such as reducing mental health symptoms, increasing feelings of meaning and purpose, building a social support network, and capitalizing on personal strengths. We will develop our treatment plan as a team and move at a pace that feels right for you. Ultimately, I hope to help you become your own therapist, as I believe this will best prepare you to take on life’s many challenges and opportunities.
I have expertise in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), three short-term, solution-focused approaches shown to be highly effective in the research literature.
I also have advanced training in Schema Therapy for chronic anxiety and depression and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for post-traumatic stress disorder.
I frequently draw from other evidence-based approaches to provide treatment that is individually tailored to each patient’s needs. These may include dialectical behavioral therapy, mindfulness practice, exposure therapy, interpersonal effectiveness training, and others.
Many goals can be effectively addressed in a short-term treatment (12-20 sessions). However, for enduring problems of a longstanding nature, a longer-term treatment may be necessary.
Once we meet our treatment goals, we may decide to terminate treatment. We will hold a termination session in which we will review your progress, plan for you to continue using helpful techniques, and discuss signs that you may benefit from returning to treatment. Following the termination of treatment, you will be welcome to return to work with me in the future if your circumstances change.
After we complete our course of treatment, you may also decide to stay in contact through less frequent sessions. If you choose this option, I require that we meet at least once per month. This is so that I can ethically ensure that you are receiving the care that you need while officially enrolled in my practice.
Evidence-Based Therapy Approaches
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
The goal of ACT is to increase psychological flexibility to help you live a values-driven life that promotes a sense of meaning and purpose. ACT starts from the premise that human life universally involves times of suffering, whether they be physical, emotional, or existential. However, how you think about suffering and behave in response can determine how it impacts you. In ACT, patients learn skills including cognitive defusion, committed action, acceptance/willingness, and mindfulness practice in service of their values-aligned goals.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
The central principle of CBT is that thoughts and behaviors impact emotions. We cannot choose to change our emotions directly, but you can learn cognitive and behavioral skills to influence your emotions and reduce psychological symptoms. In CBT, patients learn techniques to recognize and change patterns of problematic thinking and behavior to improve mood and overall functioning. CBT is a time-limited, evidence-based treatment that is tailored to the needs of each patient.
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Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
CPT is a 12-session, research-based treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that specifically aims to address maladaptive beliefs that arise from traumatic experiences. Trauma can negatively impact how you think about yourself, other people, and the world. CPT helps you develop a balanced, rational view of the trauma using psychoeducation, trauma narratives, and cognitive restructuring. It can be scary to directly focus on traumatic experiences. Thus, I often recommend that we complete 4 – 6 weeks of training in emotion regulation skills before embarking on a CPT treatment, for a total treatment duration of about 16 weeks.
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Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)
IPT is a brief, evidence-based treatment that focuses on relieving symptoms by improving interpersonal functioning. The central theory underlying IPT is that psychological symptoms can be understood as a response to current difficulties in everyday relationships with other people. Common problem areas that IPT can address include grief and role changes such as the transition to motherhood.
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Schema Therapy (ST)
ST is a type of CBT developed specifically for resolving chronic mood problems and interpersonal difficulties. ST is a research-based approach that helps patients change longstanding maladaptive relationship patterns, improve mood and well-being, and live a meaningful life. ST can be especially helpful for those who have experienced substantial adversity and complex trauma in early childhood. It is a long-term therapy, with treatment length typically ranging from 6 months to 2 years.
