If you are experiencing distress or difficulties in your relationships, in your employment or schooling or unable to function in a way that makes life pleasurable than than there is probably a good chance that counseling can help. You can schedule an intake appointment and I will you explore options and discuss if counseling is the right place to begin. I am happy to work with a client to identify the best resources for optimizing their mental wellness. If there is a better provider or avenue for treatment, I will not hesitate to refer a client.

A client will begin with a 90 day treatment plan typically meeting weekly to work on identified goals. Each person's journey to healing and recovery is unique. With that in mind, we will collaboratively work towards a phase in which sessions reduce in frequency and treatment either ends or a client comes to counseling to maintain their desired level of optimal function. The goal in counseling to find a path for moving forward and assist a client in regaining joy and contentment in daily life independent of counseling.

Helping someone we care about can be challenging. A person needs to be ready to engage in counseling and motivated to make changes. Sometimes a friend or family member can be helpful by assisting someone they care about in finding resources and taking the steps to get into therapy. The preferred option is that the client themselves makes the initial contact and takes proactive steps to begin counseling. By this means, the client will be most invested in the change process. However, if you are unable to collaboratively make that happen, or if the client is a minor, am willing to schedule a consultation appointment with a family member to provide resources for further education as well as steps for improved communication with a friend and family member who might be suffering from mental illness. In addition, there are support programs for family members available through the National Institute for the Mentally Ill NAMI (www.nami.org) and Alanon (www.alanon.org). Some family members seek therapy for themselves to increase their own support and coping strategies as a means of personal wellness.

I do not do couples counseling. I am more than happy to meet with a client and their spouse or partner as part of a client's therapeutic process but in that case the primary client and their wellness is the focus of treatment. I will work with a specific client to improve interpersonal relationships but again the focus remains on one particular person's treatment goals. This approach differs from couples therapy where a therapist will be working to help both people improve their relationship. Please contact me in person if you would like a more in-depth explanation of how this approach is different than couples therapy.

Yes. I have experience treating clients across the lifespan and am able to work with young adults to senior citizens. There are limits to how counseling can be helpful in dementia related disorders, but a personal intake appointment will be necessary to determine if I can meet the needs of an individual person.

Evidence based research says that the best approach for treating children is a systemic approach in which parents and a child are working together in therapy. For this reason, I will consider a child as a client on a case by case basis with the understanding that parents/guardians are considered a vital part of that process. During our intake appointment I will be happy to identify the importance of collaborative work and how it is handled in the context of therapy.