Psychotherapy for Adults

Much of our suffering comes from when we feel disconnected from ourselves and other people. I believe that having a personal connection with your therapist is essential to the success of your therapy. (Read this article about finding the right therapist for you). This is important because therapy is a collaborative effort, and we need to be able to trust one another for it to really work.

Once we have determined that working together can be beneficial to you, I will lead you through an initial assessment where I'll gather more information about you, your concerns and your goals. Then we’ll set up a schedule for private sessions. It's important that you understand therapy is not a miracle. You have to do the work, not just in our private sessions but outside of them as well. The commitment you make to improving yourself is the second biggest factor in the success of your therapy.

I use an integrative approach to therapy. What this means is that your unique personality and the concerns you wish to address will determine the methods and techniques I use to help you. Some of the techniques I commonly use include:

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is an approach to psychotherapy that uses cognitive behavioral therapy methods in collaboration with mindfulness meditative practices and similar psychological strategies. Besides helping to reduce stress and depressive symptoms, research also supports the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation in reducing cravings for individuals with substance abuse issues.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a psycho-social intervention that aims to improve mental health by challenging and changing unhelpful cognitive distortions (e.g. thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes) and behaviors, improving emotional regulation, and the development of personal coping strategies that target solving current problems. Originally, it was designed to treat depression, but its uses have been expanded to include treatment of a number of mental health conditions, including anxiety.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing is a form of psychotherapy in which the person being treated is asked to recall distressing images; the therapist then directs the client in one type of bilateral sensory input, such as side-to-side eye movements or hand tapping. It is included in several evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dialectical behavior therapy is an evidence-based psychotherapy that began with efforts to treat borderline personality disorder (also known as Emotional Instability Disorder). There is evidence that it can be useful in treating mood disorders, suicidal ideation, and for change in behavioral patterns such as self-harm and substance abuse.

Behavioral Interventions are essential for providing behavioral support to individuals who display challenging behaviors. Interventions lead to improved behavior so clients can achieve success. Different types of behavior require different types of interventions.

Relapse Prevention Therapy is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that aims to limit or prevent relapses by helping the therapy participant to anticipate circumstances that are likely to provoke a relapse. Individuals can develop strategies to cope with these high-risk situations in advance.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy primarily aims to reveal the unconscious content of a client’s psyche in an effort to alleviate psychic tension. It relies on the interpersonal relationship between client and therapist more than other forms of psychotherapy, and uses psychoanalysis adapted to a less intensive style of working, usually at a frequency of once or twice per week.

Psychological Assessments for Adults

If you feel that you need a psychological assessment, I will speak with you on the phone to determine whether I can help you. If we decide we want to proceed, we'll schedule an initial session at my office to gather more information about you and your goals for the assessment process. At that time, I will give you more details about the assessment's protocols and processes needed to reach your goals. Assessment fees are based on the time spent with you gathering information and completing the assessment instruments, scoring and interpreting the assessment, and writing a comprehensive report based on the results.

Assessments available:

• ADHD evaluation and treatment consultation

• Educational testing for learning disorders

• Assessment to secure accommodations for standardized testing (i.e., ACT, SAT, MCAT, LSAT, NCLEX)

• Diagnostic testing (including personality evaluation)

• Pre-employment psychological screening for police candidates

• Personality Assessment for treatment considerations or other concerns

Legal Services

I am available for court appearances, depositions, or the provision of documents for any court or attorney. Fees are based on time spent in preparation, consultation and travel expenses. You are required to pay these fees in advance or pay a retainer before any court appearance or deposition can proceed. Please be aware that insurance does not cover these services.