Adults and Couples

In my work with adults and couples I strive for collaboration, openness and understanding. Counseling and psychotherapy with adults and couples should be client driven, helping people identify areas of difficulties, develop new skills and explore possibilities for growth. With the challenges and responsibilities of adult lives it can become easy to loose the way and become disconnected from our early hopes and dreams.

Therapy for Adults

Past trauma’s, such as sexual and physical abuse, can rise up and interfere with relationships, responsibilities or personal fulfillment. People struggle with depression or anxiety for a variety of reasons, sometimes genetic, sometimes in response to life circumstances. Coping with family, illness, stress, grief, addictions are all reasons that may lead individuals to seek help and guidance from a professional. I utilize a client-centered, solution oriented approach, based on needs and desired outcomes. I utilize training and experience in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TFCBT), hypnotherapy and systems theory.

Couples Therapy

Relationships are challenging to maintain. Intimacy can sometimes feel elusive and fleeting. In 33 years of marriage I’ve experienced many bumps and turns and learned many helpful lessons. Relationships are exciting, intimate, exhausting, comfortable, frustrating, and generally meant to bring a sense of connection and belonging to our existence. “Apples and oranges” often describe the conflicts and arguments I hear in my work; miscommunications develop. Couples feel unheard and unsupported. Relationships can go from feeling buoyant and affirming, to heavy and distant.

My work with couples helps people reconnect and rediscover the things that first brought them together. I support better understanding and communication through development of listening skills (the secret to being “heard” is often in how well we listen), “fair fighting”, empathy, respect and compromise. People sometimes get their feelings hurt in relationships. We live close, and toes get stepped on. Intimacy is supported when we are open, share thoughts and emotions, and have the courage to take chances with our feelings.