What makes your approach to therapy different?

My approach is active, collaborative, and trauma-focused. I don’t believe therapy should only be a place where you talk about what happened and leave with greater insight. Understanding your experiences is important, but meaningful change often requires working with the emotional, behavioral, relational, and nervous-system patterns those experiences created. I integrate EMDR, DBT, parts work, and somatic approaches so we can work at the level that makes the most sense for what you’re experiencing.

Do I need to know whether I need EMDR, DBT, parts work, or somatic therapy?

Not at all. You don’t need to arrive knowing which type of therapy is best for you. Part of my job is helping us understand what you need. We’ll collaborate throughout therapy and decide together which approaches make sense based on your history, current concerns, goals, and readiness for different kinds of work.

Is therapy with you mostly about talking about my past?

No. We may explore your past because understanding where certain patterns developed can be incredibly important, but therapy also focuses heavily on how those experiences are affecting your life today. We’ll work on recognizing patterns, building skills, processing unresolved experiences, and helping you respond differently in the present.

What does “deep trauma work” actually mean?

Deep trauma work means going beyond simply knowing why something affects you. Sometimes you can intellectually understand that an experience is over while your emotions or body continue reacting as though the danger is still present. Trauma therapy helps us work with those deeper responses so the past can begin to have less influence over how you feel, relate to others, and live your life today.

Will I have to talk about every detail of my trauma?

No. Trauma therapy should never be about forcing you to disclose painful experiences before you’re ready. There are also therapeutic approaches, including EMDR and somatic work, that don’t require you to verbally recount every detail of what happened. We’ll work at a pace that allows us to make meaningful progress while also paying attention to safety and your ability to stay emotionally regulated.

What if I’ve already done a lot of therapy and understand where my problems come from?

That can actually be a very useful place to begin. Many people come to me already knowing a great deal about themselves and their history but still find that certain emotions, reactions, relationships, or trauma responses haven’t changed. Insight can be an important part of healing, but it isn’t always enough by itself. Our work can focus on helping what you understand intellectually begin to change at a deeper emotional and nervous-system level.

How do we know when we’re ready to process trauma?

Trauma processing isn’t something I believe should be rushed. Before deeper processing, we’ll look at factors such as emotional regulation, current stability, coping resources, safety, and your ability to remain connected to the present when difficult material comes up. Sometimes we’ll spend time building those capacities first; other times a client may already have many of them. We’ll make that decision together rather than following a predetermined timeline.

What if I don’t know exactly what I want to work on?

That’s completely okay. You may know that something doesn’t feel right without knowing exactly where it comes from or what needs to change. Part of therapy is helping us understand that together. You don’t need a perfectly organized story or a list of treatment goals before reaching out.