Therapy for Adults

I believe a therapist's role is to help people get "unstuck." At the heart of my work is a belief in the healing power of being truly seen, known, and emotionally held by another. Through a collaborative and relational approach, we will make sense of stressful and traumatic circumstances so that your life’s narrative feels understood in new and insightful ways. 

Many people enter therapy wondering, "Why revisit painful memories or past trauma? Wouldn't it be better to just move on?"  These are valid questions, and the answers often unfold through the therapeutic process itself. 

One of the metaphors I often share is that of a messy suitcase. Imagine carrying a suitcase filled with all your experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Over time, it may become so cluttered that it feels burdensome, or items might even begin to spill out as you move through life. Therapy is the process of sitting down together, opening that suitcase, carefully sorting through and examining its contents, and repacking it in a way that feels more organized, consolidated, and understood. Rather than ignoring or shoving things down, they can now be seamlessly carried alongside us.

Another metaphor I use is that therapy is like a petri dish: a contained, safe environment where we can observe what emerges when the conditions are just right. Within the security of the therapeutic relationship, you are invited to "try on" different ways of being - practicing new interpersonal dynamics, exploring difficult emotions, and confronting long-standing patterns.

I believe every behavior serves a function. Even the most painful or confusing symptoms often began as adaptive responses to overwhelming circumstances. Integration is the process of bringing these fragmented parts of ourselves into conscious awareness, welcoming them with curiosity and compassion, until we feel more whole. This transformation from fragmented to whole is at the core of healing.

Trauma is often described as the absence of an empathetic witness. In therapy, helplessness and despair can be revisited in the presence of a supportive, attuned other. When these emotions are safely confronted and processed, they begin to shift. Through this careful and sustained exploration, people come to recognize that while their defenses and emotional responses once made perfect sense, they may no longer serve them in the same way.

The work of therapy is not about erasing or lingering in the past, but about making meaning from it. It is about turning toward ourselves, gently and courageously, so we can move through the world with greater clarity, coherence, and connection.