Approach to Therapy

My approach is relational and intensive. I see psychotherapy as a chance to connect with another human in a protected relationship that allows for openness and honesty. I cultivate trust within the therapeutic relationship that allows us to go beyond surface issues so my clients may develop an understanding of themselves and find greater sense of purpose  and connection. 

In session, I am interactive and transparent with what I feel, see, and notice. I point out what clients might miss to allow us get beyond surface issues and behaviors. I create an environment where clients feel both supported and challenged. Almost no one comes to therapy completely content with everything as it is. In the safety of our relationship, we will look at some uncomfortable things in the past and present to make the future different. 

Each person comes to therapy with different experiences,  issues they hope to work through, and unexpected issues that surface. I do not know where our work will go. For that reason, I do not have one "modality" I use with all clients and  resist the idea that therapy is anything that can be taught in a skills manual. I tend to be a good fit for those seeking improved relationships with others, a new path, or trying to figure out life after big transitions like divorce or loss of a loved one. 

Before I became a therapist, I completed a doctoral degree focused on how our experiences as social creatures influence our values and ways we move through the world. In session, I use this perspective to see the world through my clients' eyes, hone in  their values, and help them make changes in the present. As it becomes clearer what barriers they face, my approach looks existential, and often draws upon liberation psychology, and ACT, depending on what comes up in session and the relationship between us. 

I see clients in-person in my office across from Duke's East campus at 911 Broad St.,  outdoors in parks and at the Eno River, or in the community in Durham and via telehealth in the rest of North Carolina and in Colorado. If you are looking to find greater meaning and understand parts of yourself more deeply, I welcome the opportunity to talk and see if we are a good fit.