My therapeutic approach is warm, nurturing, compassionate, and non-judgmental. I believe in the healing power of relationships and wish to create a trusting therapeutic relationship with my clients.
I serve families, couples, and individuals of various ages. I utilize a variety of family therapy approaches and techniques, tailored specifically to each particular client’s needs. I am a trauma-informed therapist. Bowenian family therapy concepts are at the foundation of my philosophy. I conceptualize issues through an attachment lens. I primarily utilize Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Emotion-Focused interventions in my work.
Many of my therapeutic interventions are derived from an evidence-based practice called Internal Family Systems (IFS). Also known as “parts work,” IFS suggests that individuals are made up of various “parts” or subpersonalities, and we are not one unitary identity as we often view ourselves to be. An individual’s various parts (derived from our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and body sensations) can be thought of as different individuals that exist internally and have different wants, needs, emotions, and different relationships with one another.
One goal of IFS is to identify and acknowledge which parts are “up” or activated for you in various situations and what it is that each part is wanting for you, and why. In general, many parts are either protective parts of our system, or wounded parts receiving protection.
In addition to understanding parts, IFS also aims to formally introduce you to your core Self, an aspect of you that is not a part but the calm, compassionate, curious core of your identity that is able to be clear, connected, and nurturing to your internal parts and to others.
The ultimate goal of IFS is to allow you to tap into your core Self whenever you want to, allowing you to be welcoming and compassionate to all of your parts and the parts of others, and to operate from an intentional, reassured place. Once in relationship to the Self, wounded parts can heal, and protective parts can relax.
IFS can differ from traditional talk therapy in that a lot of the dialogue can happen not with your therapist, but internally with your own parts. Going inside and creating internal relationships can feel strange at first, but over time it can feel intuitive. If IFS sounds intriguing to (parts of) you, I encourage you to give it a try!