DO I NEED THERAPY?

Therapy is for people who have the self-awareness to realize they need a helping hand. Even short-term therapy can provide long-lasting benefits and useful tools to overcome challenges and feel better. 

WHAT IS THERAPY LIKE?

Therapy with me is collaborative. You can expect to talk about current circumstances in your life, and some personal history. You are the expert about you, and I am the expert about the process of helping you to make sense of your experience. Therapy can be short-term, for a specific issue, or longer-term, to sort out more complex challenges or to enrich personal development.  Either way, it lasts as long as you want it to.

MEDICATION AND THERAPY

Medication can help, but it’s not for everyone. You and your medical doctor can determine what's best. Research shows that enduring solutions to emotional pain are not usually resolved by medication alone. If you choose medication, I suggest you consider therapy as well to best treat the psychological causes of suffering and change painful behaviors.

IS THERAPY CONFIDENTIAL?

Successful therapy requires trust; we all need to feel safe to speak honestly. That said, according to California law and professional ethics, there are three exceptions that must be reported to authorities: 

1. Suspected abuse or neglect of children, dependent adults, and elders.
2. If I conclude that you are seriously at risk to harm another person, I must notify police and inform the intended victim.
3. If you intend self-harm, I must make every effort to enlist your cooperation to keep you safe. I may take further measures provided by law, without your permission, to ensure your safety.

I make every effort to make this process transparent with you, meaning I try to assess with you to determine if a report needs to be made, and if it does, to make it with you.

WHAT HAPPENS IN SOMATIC PSYCHOTHERAPY?

Somatic psychotherapy focuses on the body-mind to address emotional and psychological issues, including trauma. During sessions, I help clients tune into body sensations, emotions, breathing, postures, gestures, movements and thoughts to explore and process unresolved trauma and stress. By bringing awareness to physical experiences and bodily reactions, we gain insights into subconscious thoughts and feelings. With techniques such as attention to breathing, mindfulness, and body awareness exercises, we can release tension, regulate emotions, and cultivate greater self-awareness. Somatic psychotherapy aims to safely integrate past trauma into present awareness to promote healing, self-understanding, and well-being, and to listen and communicate with empathy.