Adults

I am so glad you are here.

I work with men and women struggling with a number of issues, looking for a Christian approach to help feel more deeply rooted in who you are; address relationship challenges; heal from past hurts; strengthen or create habits that support your well-being; and generally move towards feeling like you are living more and more out of your true best self. 

Our sessions have structure and purpose, and are flexible depending on what you are needing/wanting. We can talk more specifically about what that looks like both in our initial consult and as we meet. I've been doing this for a little over 16 years and really love getting to know people personally, hearing your story, helping you connect dots to become increasingly rooted in who you are created to be, able to live from a place of feeling well. I have a range of skills and knowledge bases to draw from that I can offer you like a menu as we go. You get to choose what sounds helpful and what doesn't. 

Great question! 

I have a general structure I love based on the Polyvagal session structure. It's flexible based on what you're wanting/needing generally and on a given day.

Basically, here's a nutshell of what it generally looks like:

The first few sessions, I am wanting to hear what you are wanting to share; what is bringing you in. We can talk about what you are hoping happens in our work together - what would you love to be different? What would thriving look like for you? We can talk about how we are going to work towards that and what we do in session. 

From there, we can talk more about your nervous system. 

After moving through these initial pieces, "normal" sessions look like welcoming you; offering you options for how to begin; starting with what is most pressing for you/what is on your heart and mind.

I will listen, validate, wanting to understand how life feels for you and what is going on. We can then talk about what is helpful - validation, help understanding your responses, considering various perspectives if needed, learning new skills, problem solving, prepping tough conversations - whatever you're needing in the situation, we can figure that out together.

We try to always wrap session up with talking about the thing you're wanting to practice/work on, if there is something;  breathing; coming back to regulation; talking about what you can do after session to take care of yourself.

Developed by Stephen Porges and adapted for clinicians by Deb Dana, Polyvagal Theory helps understand our nervous systems, which they describe as "the heart of our lived experience." (We feel things in our bodies before we necessarily know what we're feeling or why - that's your nervous system).

Deb describes learning about Polyvagal Theory as "learning about the science of safety - the science of feeling safe enough to fall in love with life and take the risks of living." Introduction, The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy, Engaging the Rythm of Regulation, by Deb Dana

Early in our work together, we'll map your nervous system - I have a handout I'll walk you through to understand better how you experience the three main states - Ventral Vagal/Regulation; Sympathetic/Fight or Flight; and Dorsal Vagal/Shut Down or Immobilization.

There are a couple other maps, and lots of ways to get to know how your nervous system operates and what your ideal rythm of regulation is on a daily, weekly, monthly basis to live more from a state of safety and connection. We can explore these as they seem helpful to you. 

The point is to "befriend" your nervous system; learn to tune into your physiology and emotions with kindness, compassion and curiosity to then be able to respond in ways that help your system come back to regulation. Like responding to the fuel light in your car by getting gas, we can learn to better understand the cues and responses our physiology and emotions are giving us about what we need to be able to come back to homeostasis.

"Dan Siegel defines interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB) as an interdisciplinary framework that seeks to understand the mind, mental health, and human development by integrating findings from neuroscience, psychology, attachment theory, and other fields. 

Central to Siegel’s definition is the concept of integration, which he describes as linking differentiated parts of the mind and brain into a coherent whole.  He views the mind not as confined to the skull or body, but as emerging from the interactions between biological processes and interpersonal relationships, with mental health defined as a "river of integration" flowing harmoniously between rigidity and chaos."

In short, our goal is to help you feel like an integrated whole, living with the ease of well-being, connected to yourself and others. Dan Siegel's work has strongly influenced how I show up in session - working hard for you to feel I am present, "attuning and resonating" with you so you feel seen and believed in. 

IPBN addresses how we can both get stuck from pain in relationships, particularly attachment as children; and how we can heal/feel more integrated and secure when we have the experience of feeling seen, soothed, safe and secure in relationships.  This leads to feeling more at ease, "flowing in the river," rather than bumping into the banks of ridigty or chaos. 

We can talk about God and your relationship as little or as much as you would like. My strongest recommendations are typically encouraging people to connect with God daily and to exercise!

I have been around many denominations. God is central to my life. I earned my MA in Counseling at Western Seminary because I do not believe existence makes sense without God as our creator, being in a fallen world due to human choices, and awaiting the redemption and restoration of all things. I believe that's the story we find ourselves in, and that helps everything else to make sense. 

Practices like prayer, study, silence, solitude, worship, community, etc. are central to my own rythm of regulation and these are the kinds of things I offer for you to practice, too, if you so choose.

You are welcome to bring your hope, faith, hurts, doubts, anger, all of it. 

Dialectical Behavior Therapy was developed by Marsha Linehan and originally created for those who find themselves struggling with suicidal, self-harming, or other high risk urges due to immense suffering. It has since been found to be really helpful for not only stopping those behaviors, but depression, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders, as well as other struggles.

I practiced full-fidelity DBT for the first 8ish years of counseling. Full fidelity DBT includes weekly individual therapy; weekly skills group; 24 hour phone support available; and the therapist attending a weekly consult for support from their team of therapists. I started on a DBT team in a community mental health setting and then worked at the Portland DBT Institute for about 3 years in the Teen and Family program. 

You really need a team to offer DBT to stay true to the model/have it be as effective as possible, and because it is so intense and requires so much from the therapist.

Currently, I pull individual skills out as they are relevant. The Skills modules are: 

• Mindfulness - paying attention in the moment/strengthening focus; 
• Interpersonal Effectiveness - asking for what you want and saying no skillfully; 
• Emotion Regulation - setting up life so painful emotions happen less and feel-good emotions happen more; and 
• Distress Tolerance - how to navigate pain and crisis without making things worse.

The idea is to use the skills to build a life worth living. Very concrete. So helpful for lots of things.