I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Family Therapist.  By nature I am gentle, understanding, non-judging, while upfront and honest.  I have been described by coworkers as laid-back and “a straight-shooter.”

I see persons as whole beings with immense potential for growth and learning.  I do not see people only in terms of diagnoses or labels.  I look for the best in you, and for you to gain balanced self-respect and more compassionate self-understanding.  We use the most effective and least invasive therapy for what you would like to accomplish with yourself and in your relationships.

Traumatic experiences that have left emotional wounds are most often what create difficult symptoms.  Gently processing through those traumas decreases their emotional charge and re-orients you in your life with positive beliefs about yourself.  Further, we can utilize Performance Enhancement techniques to reach goals you are achieving.

Treatment, based on your strengths and goals, is provided for:

* Acute Trauma and Post Traumatic Stress

* Anxiety, Panic, and Phobias

* Anger control and Assertiveness

* Depression, Mood Swings, Bipolar Disorder

* Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, & Differentiating it from other disorders

* Child, 6 years & up, and Adolescent concerns in your home, at school, or with peers

* Family conflict resolution and mediation; Family Meetings

* Marital and Couples relationship enhancement

* Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse

* Grief and Loss

* Relaxation Skills / Stress Reduction

* Personal Growth and Development – finding your own direction for your life

Therapeutic Approaches:

EMDR (Eye-movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Cognitive-Behavioral, Solution-focused, Play therapy, guided imagery, Energy Psychology techniques, Art therapy, and other techniques, depending on your goals.

Harley

Harley is a very calm and gentle therapy dog, even with young children.  He sits by or at the feet of clients who like his comforting presence, or he goes to the side office where he is so quiet he usually is not noticed.  If allergies or fears are a concern, another office can be used or Harley can be out of the office.

Background

I have worked at a Master’s level since 1990.  I attended two graduate schools in Marriage, Family, & Child Counseling with an emphasis on understanding how a person\’s culture and spirituality can be part of their growth and healing.  The California Institute of Integral Studies and JFK University in the San Francisco Bay area continue to be on the leading edge of graduate schools integrating spirituality, cultural awareness, ecopsychology, and a full spectrum of therapeutic approaches.   My undergraduate degree is a BA in Psychology from the Colorado College in Colorado Springs.