My approach to therapy is relational and intensive. To me, therapy is a chance to connect with another human in a protected relationship that allows for radical honesty about the difficult, painful, and confusing experiences that life brings. In session, I am interactive and transparent with what I feel, see, and notice. I point out patterns clients miss to go beyond surface issues. My clients feel both supported and challenged. In the safety of our relationship, we look at uncomfortable things and navigate them in a way that fosters a sense of meaning and agency. I tend to be a good fit for those seeking improved relationships, feeling directionless, or trying to figure out life after big transitions like divorce or the loss of a loved one.
To me, transformative therapy cannot be taught in a skills manual. I do not have one "modality" I use with all clients. I draw on knowledge from psychology, philosophy, and sociology to understand clients and how they navigate the world around them. Before I became a therapist, I received a doctoral degree with research on how our life experiences shape our values and the ways we see the world. In session, I use that knowledge to see the world through my client's eyes, help them find their core values, and make changes in the present. As it becomes clearer what barriers they face, my approach often looks like existential therapy, Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Relational Psychodynamic therapy, and ACT.
I see clients in person in my office across from Duke's East Campus at 911 Broad St., outdoors on the porch and at the Eno River and via telehealth in the rest of North Carolina, Maryland, and 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.
"Therapy isn't curing somebody of something; it is a means of helping a person explore himself, his life, his consciousness." - Rollo May