My Approach to Individual Therapy
Therapy is not one-size fits all.
We'll start by talking about what's bringing you to therapy and how you want to feel afterwards.
My goal is to create a space where you can bring your full, multifaceted self. I want you to be able to address everything that's happened. I use a combination of talk therapy, Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS) to address PTSD, cumulative stress, and moral injury.
I offer virtual and in-person sessions. I see clients at the Falls Church Wellness Center, located near the East Falls Church metro station.
Let me help you take an honest accounting of what's happened in your life, as well as the context in which everything occurred. We can start slowly, at an hour a week. Or we can move more intentionally and intensively.
Either way, we'll make a plan, and I'll help you find a way forward. We'll start with whatever is bothering you the most, right now. This could be something recent, or memories from your childhood. We'll move at a pace that's comfortable for you, focusing on what you find most important. If you don't want to talk about all of it, that's fine. I'm certified in Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which provides a framework for you to get to the heart of your experiences, without necessarily retelling the entire story out loud.
I offer a space where you can bring your whole self. All your thoughts and feelings, even if they seem contradictory. You may be sad and angry. You can understand, rationally, that it wasn't your fault, while still feeling guilty about what happened. I use Internal Family Systems (IFS), or parts work, as a way to help you bring all these thoughts and feelings to the table. We'll ask your internal critics to be quiet for a while, so you can sit with your other feelings for a while.
With me, you'll:
- Reckon with what happened,
- Reflect on the context in which it happened, and
- Rebuild your sense of trust in yourself, so you can decide what to do next. I believe you can find ways to do constructive, meaningful work again. There are always options.
After working with me
- You’ll feel the relief in your shoulders, jaw, or stomach.
- You’ll be able to navigate social chit-chat, when acquaintances or family ask about your day.
- You’ll be able to answer the question: “What do you want for dinner?”
- You’ll be able to tell a trusted person about your worst day, the one you couldn’t talk about before.
- You’ll be able to take a day off and read a book, without needing to re-read the same page five times. You’ll be able to sit with yourself, without feeling like you’re a terrible person.
- You’ll be able to see the bigger picture.
- You won’t have to do everything perfectly. You’ll be able to make a small mistake without cringing in anticipation of being punished or judged.
- You’ll be able to fall asleep without being afraid of what you’ll dream.
- You’ll be able to think about yourself as a bridge builder or a skeleton key who connects disparate people, places, and ideas.
- You’ll be able to think about the future and re-imagine what you want to do after you graduate, change jobs, or retire.
