How I Work
Having a positive working relationship between the therapist and client is central to making progress in psychotherapy. At the start, some people are concerned they won’t know how to put their struggles into words. Others worry that they might feel exposed, judged or blamed when they share what is deeply important in their life. Initially some teens just about refuse to go to see a psychotherapist. Because I have many years of training and experience working with all sorts of life struggles, I am well equipped to meet an individual, family or adolescent where they are and bring them into a comfortable working relationship.
What Psychotherapy “looks like” in my office:
My style is interactive; I will ask questions as a way of learning about your temperament, your history and your individual style of feeling and thinking about important events in your life. Every person’s experiences (both joyous and painful) make up who they are today. All of those factors must be accounted for in devising the best path to grow, decrease suffering and reach your full potential. The feedback I often receive is that people feel they are able to “connect” with me and find me to be a therapist who “understands.”
Theoretical Orientation:
My work is very strongly informed by Family Systems Theory, Developmental Theory, parts of Psychodynamic and Relational Theory and most importantly the current findings from the field of Neuropsychology. I utilize tools from the fields of: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Treatment and the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction fields. In the instance of families with young adolescents who are battling Eating Disorders, I use the Maudsley/Family Based Treatment approach. As we work together, I will explain these methods of treatment in greater depth in a way that is relevant to you and the issues you need to address.
Next Step:
You may reach me by phone at 415 426-8022. Or you may email me, from there we will schedule a phone call. We will have a brief phone conversation to discuss the issues that have prompted you to seek out psychotherapy.