Presenting issues I work with include:
- Anxiety disorders.
- Phobias.
- Mood disorders: depression, bipolar.
- Life/work stress.
- Post-traumatic stress disorders.
- Sleep disorders.
- Dissociative disorders.
- Early developmental disorders.
- Psychosomatic disorders.
- Chronic pain and other chronic medical conditions.
Areas of specialty training:
(click link for more information)
Ages Served:
- Adults (18-64 yrs.)
- Older adults (65 yrs. or older)
Insurance Accepted:
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Medicare
Psychodynamic Psychology
Psychodynamic theory explains personality in terms of conscious and unconscious forces, such as unconscious desires and beliefs. Psychodynamic theories commonly hold that childhood experiences shape personality. Such theories are associated with psychoanalysis, a type of therapy that attempts to reveal unconscious thoughts and desires.
In psychodynamic psychotherapy, patients become increasingly aware of conflicts and tensions that are manifesting as a symptom or challenge in their lives. Together with the clinician, patients are assisted to bring conflicting aspects of their self into awareness, and through time, begin to integrate the conflicting parts and resolve aspects of the tension.
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is a state of inner absorption, concentration and focused attention. It is like using a magnifying glass to focus the rays of the sun and make them more powerful. Similarly, when our minds are concentrated and focused, we are able to use our minds more powerfully. Where classical hypnosis is authoritative and direct, Milton Erickson’s approach is permissive, accommodating and indirect. For example, where a classical hypnotist might say “You are going into a trance”, an Ericksonian clinician would be more likely to say “you can comfortably learn how to go into a trance”. In this way, he provides an opportunity for the subject to accept the suggestions they are most comfortable with, at their own pace, and with an awareness of the benefits.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (also known by its abbreviation, CBT) is a short-term, goal oriented psychotherapy treatment that takes a hands-on, practical approach to problem-solving. Its goal is to change patterns of thinking or behavior that are behind people’s difficulties, and so change the way they feel.
With cognitive behavioral therapy, you work with a psychotherapist in a structured way, attending a limited number of sessions. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps you become aware of inaccurate or negative thinking, so you can view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way.
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness is the intentional, accepting and non-judgemental focus of one’s attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment
It has been popularized in the West by Jon Kabat-Zinn with his mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program. Mindfulness is also an attribute of consciousness long believed to promote well-being. Large population-based surveys have indicated that mindfulness is strongly correlated with well-being and perceived health.
Mindfulness practice is being employed in psychology to alleviate a variety of mental and physical conditions, such as bringing about reductions in depression symptoms, reducing stress, anxiety, and in the treatment of drug addiction. It has gained worldwide popularity as a distinctive method to handle emotions.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapeutic modality developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro to treat traumas. It utilizes various means of creating bilateral stimulation of the brain in order to re-process events or situations that were traumatic or overwhelming. It does not erase anything from memory but rather removes the emotional or troublesome charge associated with the event.
Crisis Intervention
Crisis Intervention is emergency psychological care aimed at assisting individuals in a crisis situation to restore equilibrium to their functioning and to minimize the potential for psychological trauma.
The priority of crisis intervention and counseling is to increase stabilization.
Ego State Therapy
According to Ego State Theory, the personality is composed of separate parts called “ego states.” This therapy finds ego states harboring pain, trauma, anger or frustration and works with them, to facilitate release, comfort and empowerment, to make life enjoyable.
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing is a ‘bottom up’ approach to the resolution of post-traumatic stress conditions. SE works in the ‘here and now’ and focuses on the bodily/e/t sense and how the system binds stress in the body.
Traumatic experience:
Everyone undergoes events that can be traumatic. Severe traumas such as combat exposure and serious accidents are well-known examples. But even the most fortunate of people have had traumatic times. Problems in childbirth, childhood illness or injury, parental alcoholism or mental illness, and parental divorce are examples of traumatic events for children. Later in life, motor vehicle accidents, surgical procedures, loss of job, loss of relationship, or death of loved ones can all be experienced as traumatic.
When a traumatic experience is not fully resolved or integrated in the nervous system, part of the person’s experience can get stuck in the past.
What is Nervous System Dysregulation?
The autonomic nervous system’s (ANS) job is to regulate heart rate, digestion, respiration rate, salivation, perspiration, diameter of the pupils, micturition (urination), and sexual arousal, among others. And, it does these things automatically without our having to focus on them. The real job of the ANS is to assure our survival under all of the conditions we may find ourselves in.
When we have unresolved trauma or accumulated stress, our ANS tends to become dysregulated.
These Symptoms are all associated with ANS dysregulation:
- Hyper-vigilance.
- Chronic tension.
- Chronic anxiety.
- Panic attacks.
- Intrusive imagery or flashbacks.
- High sensitivity to light or sounds.
- Hyperactivity, difficulty focusing.
- Nightmares and night terrors.
- Abrupt mood swings.
- Reduced ability to deal with stress.
- Difficulty sleeping.
- Depression, hopelessness.
- Attraction to dangerous situations.
- Exaggerated or diminished sexual activity.
- Amnesia, forgetfulness.
- Inability to love, nurture, or bond with others.
- Fear of dying, going crazy, or having shortened life.
- Chronic fatigue.
- Immune system problems.
- Endocrine problems (e.g., low thyroid).
- Psychosomatic illnesses: headaches, neck and back problems, myofascial pain,
- Asthma, digestive, irritable bowel.
- Diminished interest in life