I am an artist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker that uses an integrative approach to therapy.

Integrative therapists hold a holistic, person-centered orientation. We draw from different evidenced based modalities in an active collaboration with the individual seeking support to determine the best way to meet their needs. As an integrative therapist, I incorporate complimentary strategies to enhance the individual’s understanding of their mind-body connection and build knowledge, skills and resilience to meet life’s challenges. I provide a caring, strength-based and trauma-informed support.

I utilize cognitive-behavioral techniques to help facilitate understanding of how our thoughts feelings and past experience impact our behavior and teach practical strategies to curb maladaptive reactive patterns and build healthy responsivity.

I utilize solution-focused strategies to support problem-solving skills and move past roadblocks we so often put before ourselves. Solution-focused therapy is a goal-oriented strength-based modality that empowers individuals develop problem-solving skills and identify solutions to reach their goals.

Trauma is held in the body in the autonomic nervous system. During time of stress our autonomic nervous system is activated causing a series of automatic physiologic processes to prepare the body to respond to the stressor. Increased heart rate, breathing, and release of adrenal hormones, can result in physical and emotional anxiety and trauma symptoms.

As a trauma-informed integrative therapist, I utilize expressive arts to facilitate exploration of thoughts and feelings that are difficult to verbalize. As children we frequently communicate through the use of creative expression. Expressive arts allow us to connect to our thoughts, feelings and others through the use of art, music/sound, dance/movement, enactment/improvisation, storytelling/narrative, play, and imagination. Each person has a unique and innate ability to create and express themselves. Expressive arts therapies build on that strength and support healing through creativity.

I utilize mindfulness to bring active attention to the here and now and build awareness of the connection between our thoughts, feelings and body. Mindfulness teaches us that we can self-regulate our emotions and learn to respond rather than react. Through the practice of mindful activities we increase our attunement to our surroundings, ourselves and others. Mindfulness promotes the development of cognitive and emotional self-regulation, stress reduction, insight and performance enhancement.