When Working with Individuals I…
What happens during counseling?
I start by getting the whole picture of you: your presenting concerns, background, strengths, and goals. This helps me to understand all that could be contributing to your current dilemmas, and it helps you make sense of your own experience by verbalizing it. Then, we’ll go deeper: we’ll break down past experiences, investigate automatic negative thoughts and beliefs you may harbor about yourself, and identify the root cause of current dissatisfactions to really comprehend how these habits and patterns have developed.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT aims to identify negative and distorted thinking patterns and challenge/change these thoughts. I can help you recognize that when the thought process you use to tackle a specific situation changes, your emotions and behaviors can change along with it, which improves emotion regulation and problem resolution.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness training helps us become more aware of our thoughts and emotions as they are happening and reframing their relationship with these internal experiences. When we allow ourselves to be present in the moment and accepting all that is happening without trying to change it, our minds do not have the space to be preoccupied with judging the past or worrying about the future.
When Working with Couples I...
Respond- Don’t React
In my work with couples, I often find that one or both partners do not feel heard and/or understood in the relationship. This happens because partners react instead of responding to each other. They tend to react to their emotional response internally instead of respecting their partner and listening to their partner’s perspective.
My goal is to create an environment in which both partners feel truly heard and respected. Once both partners feel they can express themselves without emotional repercussions, it is safe to open lines of communication.
Emotion-focused Therapy
In my practice, I use tools and techniques from emotion-focused therapy. This theory of change have proven effective for couples looking to improve communication and connection.