I specialize in the following areas, all of which are related:

• Depression and Anxiety
  (These symptoms are often seen together, although we may be more aware of one or the other.)
• Childhood Abuse, Neglect, or missed developmental milestones due to unintentional neglect.
  (Depression and anxiety are often symptoms of abuse and neglect, particularly in sensitive, introverted children.)
• Money Issues
  (Money issues can include a range of problems, including over-spending, chronic debting, under-earning, and even good fortune, such as what to do with raises, bonuses, and sudden inheritance. Money beliefs and behaviors begin in childhood, and maladaptive beliefs and behaviors can result from abuse and neglect, leading to depression, anxiety, and other symptoms).
• Sexual Identity and Gender Identity issues
  (I believe that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender identities are not inherently problems, but result from society’s problem with anything other than male/female and heterosexual. As a result of being raised with family and/or society judgments, we often struggle with depression, anxiety, identity problems, and money issues. We do not seem to reach our full potential until we have worked through these issues.)

Approach

There are many ‘techniques’ that can be used to accomplish the goals of therapy. The topic of therapeutic techniques and approaches is continually discussed in the field of psychology, and numerous books have been published about ‘evidence-based’ therapies. These discussions and studies are important and are not to be ignored. At the same time, certain types of therapeutic techniques lend themselves better to research and research evidence than others; in fact, some techniques were originally developed as research studies. Despite the current emphasis on evidence-based techniques, careful analysis seems to come back to the same conclusion over and over again. The conclusion is this: It is not so much the technique that brings good therapy outcome, but the therapist who employs the technique.

With that said, I draw on numerous techniques in order to customize your therapy to your style and your needs. These include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Gestalt therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, motivational counseling, trauma therapy, ego state therapy, Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy, and Jungian depth psychology.

In addition, my background in immunology, microbiology, and molecular biology greatly informs my practice. I draw on exciting new research about brain structure and function to help us understand the inter-relationships of physical, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive elements, and how they impact you. Knowing how we operate on a neurochemical level helps us to design interventions that can change unwanted symptoms and behaviors.

Another important aspect of my approach is the influence of the unconscious on our behavior and emotions. Much of my training in this area has been influenced by the teachings of Carl Jung. I believe that unconscious processes significantly influence us. If this were not the case, we would have no internal conflicts, no unexplainable behaviors, and no ‘acting out’ – we’d all pretty much do what we think we ‘should’ do! Because this is not the case, I turn to depth psychology to understand and work with the inconsistencies between who we are today and who we wish to be.

I believe the unconscious holds hidden aspects of ourselves which, when revealed, guide us toward a level of authenticity and self-actualization that is not possible otherwise. This is what I mean by the term ‘depth psychology.’ When I work with you, I ask many questions about your past, not to dwell on old ‘baggage,’ but to understand the important influences that have shaped your life, and to start the process of revealing beliefs, behavior patterns, body memories, and unprocessed trauma that remain unconscious.

Unconscious beliefs and unprocessed feelings from the past can manifest in the present as anxiety, depression, chronic muscle tension, nightmares, anger, chronic illness, low self-esteem, and a generalized inability to function up to your full potential. By bringing unconscious material to light and working through it, we have not just a ‘technique’ to manage symptoms, but hope for a fundamental internal shift that leads to lasting change.