my therapy approach

“Know all the theories, master all the techniques, but as you touch a human soul, be just another human soul."

- C.G. Jung

River Psychotherapy

my style is relational and client-centered

I encourage a collaborative dialogue as we work together on helping you connect to your authentic self and foster agency and growth. I bring compassion and support as you gain awareness into how your unique trauma history impacts your emotional and somatic experiences, core beliefs, coping strategies, as well as how you relate to other people.

I will be a supportive guide as you explore the beliefs, emotions, and relational patterns crucial for effecting change and learn how to integrate empowering insights into action. Importantly, I am curious and intentionally aware when to step out of the way and be a present and compassionate witness to your cascading emotional experiences and processing to make meaning of your story.

 

slowing the pace of the river on a healing journey

We will stand together on the edge of your river of life, and as the waters of your internal landscape become still, we will peer into the depths to explore what you fear. But we will also illuminate and unearth the strengths you may have lost sight of upstream or buried in the sediment of the river bottom.

We will explore the rapids and be present with how turbulence and the unpredictable currents of trauma have impacted your journey.

We will wade into the edges of the river as you learn to regulate painful emotions as they swirl around you. You will practice mindfully going with a slower flow in the river to resist being enticed into pushing through the torrent of your distressing experiences.

We will explore meandering tributaries on the river, those of paths not possible or chosen due to trauma, and grieve together for what was lost.

But we will also move into the restorative eddies of safety within the calm spots on the river, and reflect on insight and resilience that helps you move forward and away from familiar yet harmful patterns.

When needed, we will sit together on the tree-lined riverbanks, basking in the sunlight of the safety and comfort of the therapeutic relationship. We will walk downriver and take in the beautiful view as it ignites curiosity and hope about your future.

As you stand firmly on the shores of your growth, having discovered helpful and authentic ways of being with yourself and connecting with others, you will confidently navigate your own river of life in more deeply real and meaningful ways.

"Where this is sorrow, there is holy ground."

- Oscar Wilde