People come to therapy for all different reasons, but the common thread for everyone is that something is happening in their lives, which causes a level of distress. Perhaps it is a difficult relationship with their partner or a relationship problem within the family. They may be struggling on a personal level with depression, anxiety, or any number of other issues. Whatever your reason is for considering therapy, it is a step towards learning to manage your difficulties differently and to create positive change in your life.
I am a kind and caring professional, and I offer a safe, confidential, and non-judgmental environment where my clients can begin to explore their problematic issues. Being able to talk things through can be very cathartic! However, I also want to give people tools to use on their own, so they don't have to come to therapy forever. Ultimately, I want to help you understand your relationship patterns and learn skills that you can incorporate into your life.
I have extensive training and experience in couples and sex therapy. I work with couples to understand the cycles they get into with each other. I draw diagrams for people, which illustrate their problematic cycles, in the service of helping them recognize when these cycles are occurring, outside of the therapy room. I create family genograms to help people see themes that run through their families, and understand how their past informs their present. When couples can see these cycles and understand their personal history, it is a way to begin to shift the negative patterns in which they are caught. They can learn new ways of communicating with each other and co-create a new and different relationship.
Because I am also trained as a family therapist, I can easily work fluidly within the family, with children and teens. This may occur, for instance, when a couple is not getting along, or perhaps divorcing, and the kids are also needing some support during this time. As parents you are the most important people in your children’s lives and I try to help kids communicate with their parents, so those relationships can be strengthened, especially during difficult times for the family.
Sexual issues can be a sensitive topic for individuals and couples to talk about. I work with people around many different sexual issues. One of the most common problems couples have is “discrepant desire,” which is when one partner wants to have sex more frequently than the other. Some couples may get along well, but over the years, their sex life disappears. I help people to expand their “sexual menus” and to broaden their definition of sex. I want to help couples restore intimacy in their relationships.
There are many other issues for which individuals and couples may come for sex therapy. These include problems such as erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, pain with intercourse, confusion around sexual orientation, the effects on sexuality following a disease such as cancer, sexuality as people age (there is no reason to end intimacy just because you get older!!), and much more. I am also kink and BDSM knowledgeable and friendly. I work with LGBTQ folks all along the spectrum of sexuality and gender identity. If sexuality is something you have been struggling with, either on your own, or with a partner, working with a sex therapist may be helpful in restoring sexual intimacy in your life. Perhaps you already are sexually satisfied, but want to expand your sexual repertoire with your partner. All of these things can be addressed in the context of sex therapy.
I believe that therapy is a journey client(s) and therapist take together, and I am very committed to helping my clients. Please reach out to me if you would like to discuss whether I could be helpful to you with whatever issues you might be struggling. I always welcome a conversation and I am happy to answer any questions you may have.