Personalized Therapy Treatments

Mindfulness meditation is the practice of being aware of your internal and external experiences without judgment. When you are present and validating your present experiences, including physical sensations, you are less likely to feel distressing emotions and engage in defense mechanisms. Mindfulness practices can help us better attune to ourselves and be more present.  It may not be an easy practice at first, but it will get easier and more automatic over time.  We do not expect to be great at a sport the first time we try it so it makes sense that psychological practices, like any other complex process, will need time to develop.

Somatic-experiencing therapy is a body-mind approach to help treat post-traumatic stress responses. It is grounded in neurobiology and based on the notion that trapped responses, stemming from trauma, create an imbalanced nervous system. Your body remembers the trauma (procedural memory) and can respond to threats even though you do not consciously connect past trauma to the present. By releasing trauma stuck in the body, it helps balance your nervous system and lead to more efficient and healthier nervous system functioning.

CBT is a type of treatment that is very effective at treating a wide-range of disorders, including anxiety, depression, and relational issues. It improves clients awareness and understanding of how their thoughts and feelings influence behaviors. It then focuses on ways to change those behaviors (role-playing, facing fears, progressive muscle relaxation). My practice of CBT in different roles in the psychology field spans over two decades.

Resource >> Thought Diary App

DBT provides clients with a multitude of skills to manage overwhelming emotions. The basis for DBT stems from the mindfulness practice of Buddhist teachings and the philosophy of dialectics. Modules include: Mindfulness Meditation, Emotion Regulation, Distress Tolerance, and Interpersonal Effectiveness. I have an advanced certification in DBT and co-led DBT groups.

Resource >> DBT Diary and Skills Coach App

EMDR Therapy can reduce distress associated with painful, traumatic memories. It works with the natural way that our brains process information and helps to integrate traumatic memories and events, restoring connections between the limbic system and prefrontal cortex. The attachment-focused EMDR Therapy and EMDR Early Trauma Protocol are very effective for treating early childhood trauma and relieving complex trauma symptoms. My experience with EMDR Therapy is extensive: I have conducted over 5000 EMDR Therapy sessions and successfully treated a wide range of traumas using this modality.

1. Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy

2. Attachment-Focused EMDR Therapy

3. EMDR Early Trauma Protocol

Culturally-sensitive therapy tailors mental health interventions to suit an individual’s context. It is an awareness and appreciation for a client’s background and belief system as it relates to their culture, race, ethnicity, gender identity, disability, etc. This is accompanied by my willingness to adapt behavior and treatment accordingly. My graduate training and professional experiences were heavily focused on cultural awareness, the treatment approaches that work best for any given group, and most importantly, the practice of active listening and cultural humility.