What is psychotherapy?

Family Systems Therapy

Each system we operate in serves a function. The family is a system.  So is the community.  So is the school that your child attends.  People do not behave in negative ways without reasons. If your child or teen is acting out, you can get quicker results and gain more insight by examining what is happening in each of these systems. Family members are interdependent.  Therefore, if you want to make a true and lasting change in a family, it is best and most efficient to get the whole family involved in treatment.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

CBT is a very common, targeted, and useful approach.  It is a means of changing the way we think in order to feel better.  Generally, our perceptions of events are based on self-esteem, habit, and mood.  The thoughts we form about events lead to feelings.   These feelings may be either positive or negative.  CBT works to change those underlying views and faulty perceptions that lead to unpleasant thoughts and resulting negative feelings.  The way you think, and what you tell yourself is everything. Changing your thinking can change your life.  It is a skill and another form of discipline that takes practice and time, but is powerful.

Couples Therapy

Intimacy breeds conflict.  Money and sex are the most common sources of conflict in a relationship.  We have all heard that relationships take work, but how much work?  How much is normal?  How do you assess whether to stay and try harder, or to move on?  Couples therapy is objective, impartial, and does not favor one side.  The therapist is there to empathize, mediate, listen, facilitate listening, and sensitively assist the couple in determining what is best for them.

Teen Counseling


Teens have different needs than do their parents and younger siblings. They are unique.  They are still developing, in every way, and coping with raging hormones.  Having been dedicated to working with teens for many years, I have learned how to get through to them.  I understand what their behavior means, though it can be difficult to manage.  I know that their peers and their identities are what they think about the most.  I get that relationships with peers mean everything to them.  They are different from adults!  But they are great.  I find it truly gratifying to work with them.



Help for new therapists!

I am an experienced therapist.  However, that was not always the case. I understand the struggles of a new therapist. Often we may feel the weight of the world on our shoulders as we decide on when and how to intervene in a therapeutic setting.  Strong, sensitive supervision is the key to handling these struggles.  A seasoned therapist makes all the difference in terms of influencing your developing clinical intuition and style. She can also provide the much-needed support and encouragement that are so essential at this point in your career.