WHY YOU HAVE COME	WHERE YOU CAN GROW
Low Self-Esteem sense of fraudulence lacking confidence anxiety depression	Deepened Sense of Self learning to be authentic developing self esteem & confidence relaxing into yourself rediscovering peace, joy and passion
Feeling Stuck held back by old wounds/trauma sense of powerlessness & reactivity dysfunctional patterns addictions/compulsions loss of meaning in life/spiritual disconnection	Getting Unstuck healing your history taking empowered action in life creating awareness & lasting change healing addictions/compulsions rediscovering meaning and spiritual connection
Emotions as Enemies influence of culture, religion and family to emotional wounding chaotic, overwhelming emotions Numbed out, feeling flat conflict and indecision, creative blocks	Emotions as Intelligence understanding and healing your relationship to emotions understanding and managing emotions developing emotional aliveness intuitive decisiveness & creativity
Relationship Difficulties relationships evoking old wounds loneliness difficulty connecting & trusting losing sense of self in connections retreating from relationships	Enriched Connections addressing old relational wounds finding reciprocal relationships relaxed connection; building trust retaining sense of self in relationship individual & couples' therapy
Life Transitions developmental transitions/ ageing circumstantial life changes traumatic life changes grief and loss	New Beginnings conscious transitioning promotes growth sharing the weight of grief and loss finding the courage to heal and move forward

Low Self-Esteem        Deepened Sense of Self

In a culture that focuses on appearances and possessions, many of us are left with an impoverished sense of self, which can lead to psychological discomforts such as anxiety and depression. We learn to put up a front of confidence and success, attempting to attain the peace that comes from real confidence and self-esteem ("fake it 'till you make it"), but then find that in our quieter moments we encounter a deep sense of fraudulence, and an even deeper fear of being exposed. This often leads to a life laced with anxiety which can land us mired in depression, or make us prone to various addictions or compulsions, such as alcohol/substance abuse, eating disorders, gambling, sexual compulsivity, etc. Either way, we find ourselves immobilized or unable to stop moving, with peace and security always one (__fill in the blank__) away. (dress size, promotion, new partner, bottle of Bordeaux, self-help book, shiny new car...I could go on...)

Choosing to engage a deep, self- reflective process with an attuned and experienced therapist at your side can help you to build the genuine confidence and self-esteem that draws peace and security inward, making them states that travel with you wherever you go. Working on this foundational level while also incorporating behavioral strategies allows for a more lasting solution to the problems you have developed as a result of your low self esteem (depression, anxiety, addiction/compulsions). I am here to support and guide you in this process, and I make it my priority to help you access your own deeper resources so that you might learn to better support and guide yourself through life with power and passion.

Feeling Stuck        Getting Unstuck

Many of us find ourselves reacting in life, as opposed to acting. Whether this comes from the common, unresolved wounding we all have from the past or from deeper traumas, it leads to a disempowered existence in which we find ourselves simply treading water rather than taking strides forward. In our work, our play, our creativity, our stations in life, our habits, our addictions, our relationships... we feel stuck. Life seems to lose its luster and sense of meaning, and we may find ourselves feeling both personally and spiritually bereft. Old wounds and traumas affect us psychologically much in the same way debt affects us financially: They both prevent us from relaxing into the present, and they both hamper our ability to invest powerfully and intentionally in our futures.

Psychotherapy is a powerful tool for mining our histories to discover the unfinished business that keeps us in holding patterns. From this stance of awareness we have the opportunity to address and heal old wounds and traumas. We can free up our energy, arrive more fully in the present, foster greater connection to ourselves and others, and learn to truly act in life. We can rediscover a deep sense of meaning, and we may find spiritual awakening and unfolding along the way. In therapy I will help you to heal your history and bring awareness to the ways in which you tend to react in life, allowing you to move toward an empowered stance of deep self-awareness. Together we will access your internal sense of guidance so that you can learn to navigate life's challenges with intention and intuition.

Emotions as Enemies        Emotions as Intelligence

When it comes to emotions, different ideals and expectations are passed on by our respective cultures, religions/spiritualities, and families: there is usually a premium placed on the experience and expression of certain feelings while others are devalued. Regardless of those differences we all have certain things in common: We're all human beings with emotional spectrums that are natural to the human condition, and we're all raised within cultures, religions/spiritualities, and families who have impacted, and in many cases severely wounded our relationships to our emotional beings. Many come into therapy with feelings that are conflicted, intrusive, confusing and overwhelming. Some find them to be absent, numb, flat or indistinctive. Without a clear emotional barometer, it's hard to be intuitive, decisive and creative in life.

Psychotherapy can help you to understand and heal your emotional difficulties, whether you are feeling emotionally chaotic and overwhelmed, or numbed out and flat. We all live somewhere on that continuum, and depending on which end you're coming from, you can learn to better contain and manage your experience, or learn to allow for more aliveness. With the assistance of an empathic therapist you can come to understand the logic of your emotions and create enough safety within yourself to allow them to be fluid; It is in this fluidity that we find ourselves to be most creatively and intuitively alive. In therapy I will help you to navigate your way through this experience in a safe, respectful, and supportive environment.

Relationship Difficulties        Enriched Connections

Many people come into therapy wishing to address the challenges they experience in their various relationships. Some find themselves very alone in the world, and have trouble finding people with whom they can relate and really feel connected. Others find themselves surrounded by others but still feeling alone, disconnected, and unable to really trust in their relationships. Some find themselves overly connected to those in their lives, tending to lose a sense of themselves when close to others. Still others tend toward isolation and the wish to exclude personal relationships from their lives altogether. Whatever version applies, we all experience some of our greatest challenges in relationship to others.

Therapy is a powerful venue to explore what comes up for us in our relationships. As much as we face great challenge in this arena, we all stand to gain great insight and growth here as well. Together we can explore your history and build awareness around your current relational experience. I will help you to understand and address the wounds that might be holding you in dysfunctional patterns. Through this process we can find new ways you might approach and enrich this part of your life. We can do this in individual therapy, or if appropriate to your situation, in couples' therapy.

Life Transitions        New Beginnings

The only constant in life is change, but that certainly doesn't make it easy. Life brings transitions that come with age and development (childhood-adolescence-early adulthood-middle age-old age), all of which come with their own sets of challenges. There are circumstantial changes that come as we live our lives, such as moving, marriage/new partner, parenthood, career switch, empty nest, or menopause. Then there are the changes that take us by surprise, often knocking the wind right out of us; instances of divorce/break-up, unexpected parenthood, death of a loved-one, traumas, illness, mid-life crisis, etc. We all have our own ways of responding to life transitions: for some change is relatively easy, but for others it can be jarring, painful, and disorienting.

Life transitions can yield tremendous growth when traversed consciously. Change is like wild-fire in a familiar old grove: it can feel destructive and heartbreaking. But sometimes a forceful clearing out of the familiar can make way for the emergence of fresh, new growth. I am here to help you bear the weight of your transitions. Together we will mine them, whatever their nature, for all the new growth they have to offer. No one should have to endure grief and loss alone. As your therapist I will bear witness to your process and help you move through the emotions you find along the way. I will assist you in gathering the resources you need to find courage and move forward, a changed person, into your new world.