Q. Do you do teletherapy or in-office therapy?
A. I do both in-office and teletherapy, although the in-office openings are limited to specific days or times.
Q. What are your qualifications?
A. I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with a PhD in Psychology and a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist (CHt). I have advanced training in EMDR and I am trained in IFS and EFT.
- IFS (Internal Family Systems)
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing – both online and in-person)
- Energy Psychology – EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)
Q. What is your approach to counseling and therapy?
A. I take a person-centered approach to therapy. This means that I hold to the core tenet taught by Carl Rogers that genuineness, empathy, and unconditional positive regard are essential elements of the therapeutic process and in helping individuals work through and solve their problems. I have learned through the years that what really counts is the here and the now — the past is over and the future is not here. In fact, the only moment that exists is this very one. Even so, as you move forward in your life’s journey, you may feel weighted down by the past, or maybe you feel just plain stuck. Knowing how to move forward, what to take with you into the future and what to leave behind, can seem a daunting task making that future look bleak or just too hard.
Q. You say that you are a humanistic psychotherapist. What is humanistic psychology?
A. The Association for Humanistic Psychology defines humanistic psychology as “a value orientation that holds a hopeful, constructive view of human beings and of their substantial capacity to be self-determining. It is guided by a conviction that intentionality and ethical values are strong psychological forces, among the basic determinants of human behavior. This conviction leads to an effort to enhance such distinctly human qualities as choice, creativity, the interaction of the body, mind and spirit, and the capacity to become more aware, free, responsible, life-affirming and trustworthy” (http://www.ahpweb.org)
Q. Do you have specific therapeutic techniques that you use in treatment?
A. I use a variety of treatment techniques as each person is different and there is no one-size-fits-all therapy so for each person I create a new therapy. While I think talking is essential, I also help people learn various relaxation techniques, such as differential relaxation, as well as, mindfulness meditation, and breathing techniques. I also use guided imagery or hypnosis, EMDR, or EFT.
Q. What is IFS?
A. IFS (Internal Family Systems) is a modality of treatment developed by Richard C. Schwartz, Ph.D., that looks at humans as multidimensional beings. Treatment involves learning about, understanding, and healing the whole person, which includes the self and one’s parts or ego states. For a more comprehensive description of this model go to the Center for Leadership where Dr. Schwartz more completely describes the model at http://www.selfleadership.org/about-internal-family-systems.html.
Q. What is EMDR?
A. The EMDR International Association defines EMDR (Eye Movement, Desensitization Reprocessing) as: “a method of psychotherapy that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma” (www.emdria.org). EMDR, originated and developed by Francine Shapiro, PhD, uses a standardized set of protocols and bilateral stimulation to assist in relieving emotional distress from traumatic experiences.
Q. What is Energy Psychology?
A. Energy Psychology is a new wave of psychology utilizing the relationship of our energy systems to understand, influence, and heal our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It reaches back in time to ancient treatments involving the electrical activity of the nervous system, acupuncture meridians, and biofields which all relate to physical, spiritual, emotional and mental aspects of our being. An increasingly common energy treatment method is EFT.
Q. What is EFT?
A. EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) founded by Gary Craig is sometimes referred to as “tapping.” It incorporates ancient approaches to the mind and body using the body’s meridian system. By using a systematic method of tapping on acupuncture meridian points, EFT helps relieve stress, anxiety, phobias, as well as a host of other barriers to achieve a sense of mental health and well-being. For more information about EFT go to http://www.emofree.com/.
Q. What do you mean by hypnotherapy?
A. I use a solution-focused approach to hypnotherapy using trance states to achieve change as adjunctive to ongoing treatment. Trance states are a common phenomenon and most of us go in and out of them without realizing it.
Daydreams are trance states and so are those times when you get so wrapped up in something you don’t realize that hours may have gone by. Often when people think of hypnosis, they think of what we call “authoritarian hypnosis” where someone takes charge of you and your behavior. This is NOT what I practice.
Q. What is your approach to counseling and therapy?
A. I take a person-centered approach to therapy. This means that I hold to the core tenet taught by Carl Rogers that genuineness, empathy, and unconditional positive regard are essential elements of the therapeutic process and in helping individuals work through and solve their problems. I have learned through the years that what really counts is the here and the now — the past is over and the future is not here. In fact, the only moment that exists is this very one. Even so, as you move forward in your life’s journey, you may feel weighted down by the past, or maybe you feel just plain stuck. Knowing how to move forward, what to take with you into the future and what to leave behind, can seem a daunting task making that future look bleak or just too hard.
Q. You say that you are a humanistic psychotherapist. What is humanistic psychology?
A. The Association for Humanistic Psychology defines humanistic psychology as “a value orientation that holds a hopeful, constructive view of human beings and of their substantial capacity to be self-determining. It is guided by a conviction that intentionality and ethical values are strong psychological forces, among the basic determinants of human behavior. This conviction leads to an effort to enhance such distinctly human qualities as choice, creativity, the interaction of the body, mind and spirit, and the capacity to become more aware, free, responsible, life-affirming and trustworthy” (http://www.ahpweb.org).
Q. Do you accept insurance?
A. I do accept certain insurances. If I am not credentialed by your insurance carrier, and you would like to work with me as an out-of-network provider, I can provide you with documentation to for reimbursement for treatment. You will need to check with your insurance company about their policy for out-of-network therapy. (See About Insurance).
Safe Harbor Therapy 