Each person and each situation is unique, so I use an eclectic and flexible approach in my work with clients. Through supportive dialogue, collaboration, and open reflection we can create opportunities to reshape our stories and discover new meaning in unexpected and profound ways. With this groundwork in place, clients become prepared to take values-guided actions to build the lives they want. I draw from the following approaches so that I can be flexible to clients' needs:
Internal Family Systems
We all have different parts that make up our whole being. Some parts are protectors who work hard to keep us safe; other parts are exiles that hold the pain of past wounds. Some parts are at odds with each other, creating internal conflict or polarization. By identifying our parts, understanding them, and helping them unburden, we can shift our internal system toward harmony. IFS is the primary approach I use in my practice.
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Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and commitment therapy is fundamentally values based. Rediscovering what's important to us and learning how to notice our experiences in different ways is an important step. By dropping our struggle with difficult thoughts and feelings, we are able to take actions that move us toward rich, full, meaningful lives. ACT offers tools that people can apply in everyday life.
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Somatic Experiencing
SE is a body-oriented therapeutic model for healing trauma and other stress disorders. The SE approach addresses incomplete survival responses bound in the nervous system, which is vital to healing PTSD and the wounds of emotional and early developmental attachment trauma. It offers a framework to assess if a person is “stuck” in fight, flight or freeze, and to resolve these fixed physiological states.
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PsychoeducationPsychoeducation involves sharing information about psychology that is evidence-based or generally accepted within the profession. Information may relate to areas such as cognitive functioning, memory, or emotional processes. Psychoeducation can help clients gain a better understanding of issues they might be struggling with. I may share diagrams, handouts, or statistics that I believe will be helpful.
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"We can't nourish others from a dry well.”