Specialties + Approach

Areas of Specialty

I have been fortunate to have a rich variety of professional experiences and training and constantly work to increase my knowledge and skills.

General areas of expertise

Please feel free to contact me for a free 15 minute consultation to discuss what would be helpful to you at this time (contact options below). I am happy to help you find the resources that meet your needs, even if it is not within my practice. There are some wellbeing goals, such as significant drug or alcohol recovery, for which I will recommend collaboration with another program or will help you find a provider that is a better fit.

  • Panic attacks

  • Stress management

  • Chronic illness

  • Cardiac issues

  • Self-injury

  • Psychosis

  • Loss or trauma

  • The challenges of adolescence

  • Relationship and family problems

  • Parenting challenges

  • LGBTQIA+ topics

  • Difficulties understanding and communicating about gender

  • Work-life balance

Trauma and Chronic Trauma

People can have experiences that seriously disrupt their emotions after any event that creates a sense of helplessness, fear or the inability to keep themselves or loved ones safe. A car accident. An unexpected death or loss. A sudden health issue.

Sometimes people are in situations for a long time feeling that way, and can experience long term changes as a result. This can be living somewhere dangerous, or having a parent who is unavailable or harmful, living in an emotionally abusive relationship, ongoing medical issues, or multiple reasons. This can cause it to be very hard to feel at ease, even in situations that are safe.

I work with people to help them understand how their bodies, thoughts and feelings are stuck in crisis or survival mode and to learn ways to shift their systems back to safety and ease, whether unease was caused by a single event, or over a lifetime.

Related training: I was fortunate to have strong supervision and training with a trauma-focused lens during my post-graduate internship. I have continued to engage in continued education and have followed developments in the field.

2019, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), certificate training program by Dominick L. Flarey, Ph.D., RN, CRNP, ANP-BC, EFTMP

2022, Certificate in Trauma and Body-Based Approach, through study provided by Bessel van der Kolk, MD and Linda Thai, LMSW

2024, Certified provider of the Safe and Sound Protocol, based in research by Stephen Porges, PhD and Deb Dana, LCSW

Cardiac patients

I have special interest and experience supporting people with cardiac health issues, having spent time as part of an interdisciplinary team at Duke Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 805,000 Americans a year have a heart attack (https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts). Although it is very common, there is often not much support or understanding of the emotional effects of this experience, at the moment, immediately afterward and longterm. An estimated 1 in 8 people who have survived a heart attack survivors experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD (Harvard Health source). Getting treatment to help heal from the physical and emotional experience of a heart event helps recovery and to prevent future health problems (Harvard Health source).

Psychosis and thought disorders

My first post-graduate job was in a residential social rehabilitation program for adults who were working toward independent living after hospitalization for symptoms of psychosis, with diagnoses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Later I was the program director for a first-episode psychosis program at UNC-Chapel Hill, which focused on understanding and preventing progression of illness and supporting patients and families. These are frightening experiences for people, and I have felt honored to be able to help provide information, strategies and ideas for coping - and hopefully thriving - alongside them.

Teens and young adults

I have tremendous respect for the transformative time in life between childhood and adulthood, and the thoughts, feelings, changes and challenges that go along with it. Figuring out who you are, who you want to be, where you fit it, how to deal with whatever hand we are dealt in life is the important work teenagers and young adults have to do, and a safe, compassionate place to explore and express themselves can be extremely helpful.

“Adolescents are not monsters. They are just people trying to learn how to make it among the adults in the world, who are probably not so sure themselves.” – Virginia Satir

Theoretical Orientation

My overall approach is humanistic, which means I value every person's uniqueness and natural potential for positive growth and transformation.

Depending upon the individual needs and goals of my clients, I combine this perspective with various other theoretical orientations and evidence-based strategies, such as polyvagal theory, somatic and mindfulness approaches, cognitive behavioral therapy, art therapy, dialectical, trauma-informed insight-oriented, and solution-focused approaches.

I view my role as highly collaborative, with a focus on helping people find health and wellbeing while respecting their values, culture and experiences.

“Trauma is a chronic disruption of connectedness.” ~ Dr. Stephen Porges