Open communication is possible in an atmosphere of safety and trust. Honest communication with another human being is the best medicine. Sharring human experience is the way out of repetitive struggling and isolation, and lights the way to new insights and perceptions.

Dreams, the arts, one’s inner life are gateways into the unconscious that bring messages about one’s survival and destiny.Breaking the isolation reduces anxiety, depression, strengthens the immune system and increases health. Through authenticity, safety in being vulnerable, compassion and love is possible.

Past Treatment of Adults and Children

• Physical, Sexual, and Emotional abuse
• Abandonment
• Performance Anxiety
• Critical Incident stress for front line professionals: nurses, psychologists, physicians, and firefighters
• Workplace trauma: toxic environments, bullying
• Medical: the trauma of newly diagnosed illness, medical procedures and surgery, ICU trauma
• Addiction and or codependency

Past Services

Psychological Evaluation

This includes a description of the presenting problem, the clients developmental and drug history, a mental status exam, and DSM IV diagnosis. This may be helpful for insurance issues, such as auto accident or insurance compensation issues.

Psychotherapy

My orientation is psycho-dynamic. I integrate cognitive behavioral methods, self hypnosis, EMDR, relaxation, imagery, and the use of dreams into the therapy depending on the needs of the client. These methods are helpful for those who have symptoms of panic, anxiety, depression, pain or somatic complaints. It is also helpful for patients whose immune system is compromised.

EMDR

EMDR means eye movement desensitization procedure. It is comparatively new psychotherapeutic technique developed by Francine Shapiro PhD in the late 80s. EMDR involves the use of repetitive eye movements that is similar to the rapid eye movement that occurs in sleep. It was found to be a powerful tool in desensitizing traumatic material. Initial research shows it to be effective in alleviating symptoms of anxiety, depression, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder. EMDR is helpful for both situational stress or trauma such as the loss of a loved one, newly diagnosed illness, accident, work burnout including tragedies on the job as experienced by nurses, fire-fighters, police officers, mental health professionals, or debriefing for disasters/ tragedies; it is also helpful for chronic stress such as childhood abuse, emotional, physical, or sexual…and immune problems resulting in physical illnesses such as cancer chronic pain, or drug abuse.

Crisis

Crisis includes accidents, newly diagnosed illness, assault, loss of a loved one (grief), war, rape, medical procedures and surgery and disaster.

Debriefing

For firefighters, nurses, mental health professionals, debriefing is available for critical incident trauma.

Pediatric Trauma

For children who are about to undergo and or have experienced medical procedures or surgery to prevent and or treat psychological trauma.

Dance Movement Therapy

Expressive Art/Movement therapy

Sometimes verbal therapies are limited in breaking through to underlying feelings. Expression through movement, writing, and drawing can be an alternative to more traditional therapies. Non-verbal approaches are helpful for children and for those who are inclined to be more expressive. This is often a helpful adjunct to individual therapy for children and adults.

Play Therapy for Children

Stories, puppets, and sand tray are ways for the child to recreate in play their underlying fears and anxieties. It is very helpful for preventing psychological trauma when children undergo medical procedures and surgery. It can also be used in conjunction with EMDR to treat trauma from auto accidents, hospitalization, procedures and surgery and helpful in treating performance anxiety.

Dreams

Dreams are used in Psychotherapy and or EMDR to deal with issues of survival and or potential.

See Page 3 for a description of past experiences and Page 4 for writings describing these experiences.