Individual Therapy
Therapy is a space for you to come and discuss the harder topics in your life that have been difficult to face. We will sort through what stuck aspects of your life may be troubling you.
Perhaps you are looking to get to the bottom of the depression/anxiety you experience as related to your personal, work, or family relationships. Or maybe you are feeling like there are obstacles keeping you from reaching your potential.
Maybe your dating life is not panning out the way you had hoped and you are looking to find the right 'one' for you.
Perhaps you are not over your last relationship and need help getting 'closure' so you can live a healthy and whole life.
Or maybe you are in a relationship but need to address feelings of confusion or malaise that are getting in the way of connecting with your partner.
Together we will explore the patterns in your life that may be repeating themselves, identify the areas that are keeping you from having the relationship that you want, set goals for your personal relationships, and set you up for the healthy and fulfilling life that you deserve.
Couples Therapy
Couples therapy is where you come to confront tough issues in your relationship that you can't resolve on your own or with the advise of family and friends.
Is your communication failing? Are you having recurring arguments that just don't seem to get resolved? Do you feel like what you are saying is getting lost in translation with your partner?
You may feel that you are at an impasse in your relationship or there is no hope.
Maybe you are having a hard time with the everyday issues in your relationship - like household chores, finances, co-parenting.
Perhaps you are facing recent breaches of trust that have been too hard to overcome on your own.
And maybe you need help making decisions about how to move forward in your relationship.
Coming to couples therapy will pull you out of the feelings of frustration, confusion, sadness and show you where there is room for growth. You CAN restore that feeling of hope and connection in your relationship. Together we will work to gain the skills and tools that you need to get there.
My Approach
As a Marriage and Family Therapist, my focus is on the systems in your life and understanding how they help and/or hurt you. It's important that we look not only at the issues in your life, but the context in which they are embedded. We'll spend time looking at the present as well as how your past informs your present, specifically at your family of origin and any formative life events. Threading together the moving parts of your personal history can shed a lot of light onto how you are struggling now.
But I'm invested in helping you move the marker of change in your life right now, and so we will always bring our work back to the here and now and focus on effecting tangible change.
My Background
I am a WA State Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, with a special focus on relationship health. I have been in the mental health field for over15 years, both as a practitioner and as a researcher. I received my B.A. at Franklin & Marshall College, and my M.S. at Seattle Pacific University.
I originally started my private practice in New York City, and am still licensed and see clients in NY State. I have extensive experience working as a chemical dependency counselor and currently specialize in treating addiction within a family system.
I have published and presented research as well as worked as a Research Coordinator for Dr. John Gottman's "Creating Healthy Relationships Research Project." My interest in research informs my practice greatly, as I aim to focus on therapeutic styles that are grounded in well-founded principles and approaches.
My husband and I also own and operate Go Yoga, a yoga studio located in downtown Kirkland. I'm certainly passionate about yoga, and it informs my practice as a therapist, primarily in the breathing and self-regulation techniques that are extremely effective for managing our day to day emotional experiences.
I am passionate about understanding relationships and what it takes for us to have better ones. It's my goal to really delve into the missing links that keep us from connecting to one another, and look for simple but effective solutions.
