Learn more about the services I offer

How you can thrive

Art Therapy
We are inherently creative as human beings. You may not feel like you are creative, but sometimes words are not enough to express what we are experiencing.  In our sessions you can learn to access your inherent creativity and explore what it has to offer.  During our therapy sessions you explore your thoughts and feelings through creative means such as drawing, painting and collaging. This enables you to tap into your innate wisdom and potential for growth leading to a better understanding of yourself.  Making art, no matter what form it takes, can be naturally calming and relaxing.  You don’t need to have any experience in art making, there are many different ways to make art and stick figures are ok too. As an art psychotherapist I meet you where you are and together we collaborate to find solutions to issues that are causing distress in your life. Depending on your goals this may mean finding new ways to cope with current stressors, work on self-improvement or exploration, or decrease distressing symptoms of trauma. Most of the time this means making some art, but other times we might just talk.

Trauma processing
Trauma focused art therapy may be right for you if you’ve experienced a recent traumatic event or an old trauma has been triggered by new stress, life transition, or media/news events. You may be noticing changes in mood, relationships, appetite, and sleep. You may be experiencing trauma related symptoms such as difficulty coping with things the way you used to, feeling easily overwhelmed, having nightmares or intrusive memories. The Instinctual Trauma Response™ method is an evidence-supported method that focuses on treating the roots of trauma. The ITR™ method recodes traumatic memory from non-verbal to verbal, ending or greatly reducing triggers and symptoms. The ITR™ method gives traumatic memories order, verbal coding, historical context, and an objective, third person view that protects the person from re-experiencing the trauma and fosters their capacity for empathy for themselves and others. This allows you to feel that the event is finally over and in the past.

iRest® Meditation
iRest® or Integrative Restoration is a 10 step mindfulness meditation protocol that is easy to learn and that can enable you to meet each moment of your life with a sense of peace and wellbeing. iRest® has been shown to be effective in scientific trials for conditions including: * chronic pain * sleep problems * depression * anxiety * post-traumatic stress disorder. iRest® is easy to learn and can be practiced by anyone since the protocol is trauma sensitive. Once learned, iRest® can become a tool for life that can help you tap into your inherent resilience and create a sense of wellbeing throughout your life.

Yoga
Yoga is an ancient body mind practice incorporating the physical poses (asana), breath work (pranayama) and meditation. A regular yoga practice can be helpful for managing symptoms of trauma and stress, and may be a great pairing with other treatments. Practicing yoga, whether it is through the physical poses or breathing and meditation, can help you connect to yourself in a mindful healing way. Yoga practice can easily be modified to fit one's current needs and physical abilities and aspects of yoga and mindfulness can be interwoven with other modalities.