Theory and evidenced based treatment with random control trials are important and wonderful; they work! Not all effective treatments can be studied in RCTs. My main approach is Person Centered/Rogerian (Carl Rogers). I also like to tell my client's I call my approach "real" therapy. :) This was one of my mentor's responses when I asked her what her approach was when I witnessed her in group therapy help the toughest people who had been chronically abused and traumatized disassociate and withdraw; make progress during their inpatient stays and come out of the flashbacks, ground them and break down in tears and start to express their feelings rather than avoid. This was through her authenticity and "realness," my mentor was Gloria Noah. I have found that clients are people first. Like me they want and need sincerity and humanness. This just meshed with my personality so naturally as well as my training. However, interventions and techniques are utilized that meet the client's problems or goals from numerous approaches such as CBT, Relational, Inner Child, etc. I'm Strong Star trained in Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

I enjoy working with a variety of people from all walks of life. I particularly enjoy middle and working class people, those with higher than average intelligence, parents of special needs, adults that grew up in homes with parents that were alcoholics, addicts, various trauma or parental dysfunction because of mental illness or abusive behavior including domestic violence, sudden and traumatic loss (grief) and lastly professionals that have addictions or those that abuse drugs. Those people with addictions or compulsions that can't talk to anyone out of shame or fear that they will lose everything or be judged; where fear lives loudly. Let me be your safe person and together let's see what we can do help evolve some additional ways of coping. It's amazing what having a safe person with unconditional support can do for our wellbeing. Whether you are in active addiction or not-I'm here to help keep you safe and support you.

I also enjoy working with young adults, women of color and working with immigrants. I have worked with a variety of people with a variety of issues and consider myself a generalist.