ADDICTION & RECOVERY
At Clarity, I can help you determine if you or someone you love may need to address addiction. While I can provide counseling pertaining to addiction, it is important to understand the recovery process occurs with professionals that specialize in addiction and who can provide services from detox through recovery. I can be there before and after that process. Depending on the program you choose; I might be able to remain your counselor throughout.
Wherever you are in the process, please take a moment to love yourself and to believe in yourself. You will make the right choice at the right time. I can help you find the strength to move forward.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Conflict resolution skills are somewhat inherent to a counselor’s repertoire. I have previous experience with conflict resolution including in unofficial capacities. I think it started when I was voted for the Natural Helper program in 10th grade. Then if we jump ahead approximately two decades, I found myself teaching conflict resolution in a variety of group settings as part of my nonprofit organization. I then further explored my interest for conflict resolution by becoming certified in Restorative Justice Conferencing.
COUPLES COUNSELING
I currently utilize the Gottman Method and the Imago Relationship Therapy by referencing the evidence-based literature as I provide support. I am considering becoming certified in both methods by the summer of 2022.
If you believe you and your significant other are ready for couple’s therapy, please be prepared to attend sessions with me and to also accept homework assignments that focus on the individuals independently AND as a team in your natural environment, outside of sessions.
If you are in a domestic violence situation, please seek counseling as an individual. It is imperative that a counselor remains unbiased when working with couples and families; however, if one member of the couple is violent then the counselor is put on shaky grounds in terms of remaining unbiased. With that said, the person inflicting the pain is also welcome to attend counseling as an individual to work on anger management.
DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
There are many emotions and behaviors that mimic depression and anxiety. Then, there is actual depression and anxiety that can be clinically diagnosed. Regardless of which category your emotions fall into, we will work together to understand and manage these feelings. Then we will work hard to move that heavy cloud of depression that may be hovering over you. Depression may be negatively impacting your daily routine and the way you relate to people and your environment.
We will work hard to minimize the situations that cause your anxiety, where possible and we can modify the way you respond to anxiety triggers that are unavoidable. We will work to understand your emotions and we will also look at other areas of your life that might be causing or enabling your symptoms.
EATING DISORDERS
Eating disorders are complex because they do not occur in a vacuum. There are typically co-occurring symptoms or disorders that cause – and/ or – result from eating disorders. You are not alone in this, but your experience is unique.
Together we can work to understand, manage and prepare you for change so you can live a healthy life, both mentally and physically! We all go through stages of change and so if you are in my office, you are -at the very least – in the pre-contemplation stage. Some of you may even be past the contemplation stage and already in the process of enacting the change. No matter where you are – I will meet you there.
GRIEF AND LOSS
I do not have a magic wand to make grief a simple process. I do however possess an infinite supply of hope. I can share this hope with you and together we can make every day more and more manageable. In doing so we will be tapping into your supply of hope. It is there, tucked away somewhere, I promise.
Some losses – such as loss of employment, can be fixed by reorganizing your priorities and expectations and by creating a new plan. Some losses, such as a child growing up and leaving the nest, cannot be “fixed” but the sadness can be redirected with a shift in your perspective and by evaluating your new purpose and identity at this stage in your life. There are many other kinds of loss that do not involve death and bereavement
There is one major component that these types of grief have in common: your perspective dictates the outcome. Finding that perspective might be difficult, confusing, and scary – and that’s okay! It is a process.
You will find a new form of happiness and I can help.
GRIEF AND BEREAVEMENT
We, as humans, cannot skip past bereavement. We must move through it. I will be by your side. I will listen to the stories of the person or pet you lost. I will listen to the anger about how unfair life can be when someone is taken from you. I will listen when you have positive days, and I will listen when you have difficult days. I will do this while working from YOUR spiritual or scientific perspective of death.
I do not want to sound grim, but I must be honest. Bereavement is just horrible. Now here is the positive: if you are grieving, it also means you are living. If you are grieving, it also means you have a large capacity to love. You do not have to say good-bye to the love you have for your loved one. Counseling can help you use that SAME LOVE in the life you continue to live.
INTIMACY AND RELATIONSHIP ISSUES
I welcome all types of intimacy and relationship concerns, and I hold no bias toward non-traditional romantic lifestyles. I welcome individuals and couples, as well as “couples” in non-intimate relationships, such as platonic roommates.
“The value of a man (human) should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive.”- Albert Einstein
“You must never be fearful of what you are doing when it is right.”- Rosa Parks
“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. “- Mahatma Gandhi
PANIC ATTACKS AND PANIC DISORDERS
Panic is scary! Some of you may be currently in the abyss of a scary situation, it is happening, and you are feeling panic. Some of you may be suffering from a panic arising from the anticipation of something you fear could happen or that has happened…but it is not presently happening.
Therapy for panic is situational. Exposure therapy is not suitable for all clients or for all kinds of fears. In this case, you may want to talk through your thoughts, feel validated and work on adjusting your perspective. Some of you will benefit from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This is an evidence-based intervention that suggests the client challenges the way they are currently thinking in an effort to formulate healthier thoughts. By disputing irrational thoughts, the client can take advantage of a safe environment while re-training the way they see situations that – outside of their own mind – are otherwise harmless…or no longer harmful.
If you feel anxious about discussing your panic, I hope to reassure you that my office is comfortable. I offer comforting aids that are optional, including but not limited to: fidgeting gadgets; drawing, coloring and doodling tools; essential oil diffuser; rock painting; magazines to read or cut and collage; puzzles; Russian Nesting Dolls; music…and unbiased, nonjudgmental listening.
PHOBIAS
Similar to panic attacks, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is often useful to treat phobias. The goal is to challenge faulty or unhealthy thought patterns.
But simply “changing” our thoughts can’t possibly work, right?
Change is a process and talk therapy is a useful method because the client can talk through their feelings and thoughts and consequently release some burden – and decompress. Once that burden is lighter it becomes easier to shift your perspective and gain some control over the fear, the “what ifs” and the effects of past trauma or worry.
Mindfulness: Additional interventions may include Dialectical Behavioral Therapy to help the client stay focused on the present moment – what is in front of them – rather than what “might” or “could” happen. The present moment is often full of beautiful details that humans take for granted. It is an amazing, sometimes spiritual experience when a human allows themselves to sit in the present moment and experience whatever it brings.
We are truly living when we learn to stop, look around, breathe, contemplate, and experience gratitude for the hundreds of little moments we encounter each day. Yes, this includes those days when everything else is just a mess! Because regardless of our external pressures and influence, nothing and nobody can take away our present moment. We always have the ability to breathe and to just BE in the moment without judgment or expectations.
PARENTING SUPPORT
At Clarity, there is no expectation for the “best parenting style”. You will not hear me say “you should be doing this or that”. At Clarity, I know first-hand that a parent’s intentions and a child’s personality is not something that can be listed in two columns and then rearranged for better results. Oh no, parenting is a complex web of factors.
We must take into account: the parent’s intentions; the child’s personality: the child’s in-family history; the child’s out-of-the-house history; the child’s perceptions; the family communication style…and much more.
Even then, what works on one day may seem ineffective the next day. It is complex, but intentional parenting is IMPORTANT and together we can find a way to sift through the variables and align your goals with your child’s willingness and understanding to become united with the family goals for peace and respect.
I want to help get your family on the same side, which typically means the child (including adult offspring) needs to come to the realization that you only want what’s best for them; and parents should be willing to recognize their children are constantly evolving and they are searching for independence and purpose.
STRESS MANAGEMENT
Stress is part of the human condition. Stress management is part of almost every kind of therapy relating to almost every counseling need. At Clarity, the best way for a therapist to help a client manage stress is by getting to know the client and personalizing the treatment plan as partners.
WORK AND CAREER CONCERNS
In my previous life I was what they call a ‘serial entrepreneur’ so when it comes to obtaining work and creating career paths, I’m your gal. When I include the jobs I had with a temp agency in my twenties, and the jobs I had just to assist friends and family, I calculate over 30 companies that I have worked for or worked with by age 40.
I have created four licensed businesses including my current therapy practice where I intend to remain indefinitely. In other words, I can help you find your passion, set priorities, and create an action plan to achieve your goals. I’m here. Are you ready to do your part?
