Psychotherapy

Individual Adults:

If you are seeking individual therapy you may have exhausting outdated coping skills and relational patterns that once served you yet are no longer effective. We will have the opportunity to observe your experience in the present moment in order to develop awareness and offer you more choices. As your therapist, I will collaborate with you at your own pace. Together we will discover the thoughts and emotions driving you and learn new ways of coping. I am interested in knowing what it is like to be you and take very seriously the privilege of being allowed to more fully understand your world with you. The dialogue between you and I will be a rich space to explore relationship dynamics and as a gestalt therapist I will relate to some of my own thoughts and feelings as part of the therapeutic process.   

Individual Teens:

I work with adolescents ages 12 to 18. This period of your life can be a roller coaster of big feelings and emotions as a teen begins to navigate life’s challenges while exploring who they are and what they want out of life. After working clinically with young people for many years in addition to writing and directing plays with high school kids, I’ve learned that sometimes a more creative approach is needed to engage deeply and bring the therapeutic work to life. Whether it be issues at school, self-image or family stress, I can help find healthier ways of coping through exploring thoughts, feelings, and patterns while developing skills to help minimize distress.

Couples:

The primary focus in couples therapy is on the relationship between the two partners. We will have the opportunity to explore how the relational patterns which were learned in each participant’s family of origin informs their current ways of connecting and problem solving with the intention of deepening awareness and transcending these patterns. We can slow down and develop a greater capacity for understanding and intimacy, which includes both the capacity to share needs and also appreciate and honor each other’s differences.  

Other issues we might focus on:

  • Relationship issues

  • Persistent depression or anxiety

  • Challenges related to life transitions

  • Grief/Loss

  • Trauma

  • Substance use issues

  • Issues related to food and eating

  • Chronic pain or illness

  • Low self-esteem and identity issues

Education and Training

Some of my education which relates to my clinical practice includes:

  • M.S.W. - Clinical Social Work - New York University - New York, NY

  • 3 years intensive training - Gestalt Associates for Psychotherapy - New York, NY

  • Advanced Practice group for Gestalt therapy with Frank Rubenfeld PhD. - Berkeley, CA

  • Ongoing training in Gestalt therapy at GATLA - Santa Monica, CA

  • EMDR Weekend One and Two - EMDR Institute, INC.