If you are reading this website then you are wanting change. You didn’t arrive at this site by accident. I’m not here to sell you on working with me, I’m here to affirm you. You’ve come this far, you know you want to change and you know you need help. That’s wonderful!
If you don’t do something now, nothing will change.
I get that change can feel scary, that’s why you don’t have to do it alone.
Don’t leave this site without taking action – call someone, book a consultation, book an initial appointment – just do something.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Virginia and its important that you know that.
I believe that everyone has great potential in life, but sometimes past experiences keep us from moving forward. From the outside, things often look fine. And sometimes it’s easy to mask our issues and go through the daily motions as though everything was perfectly OK.
But even as we suck it up and put that smile on, day in, day out, we become trapped by the negative loops in our heads:
Yet we keep pushing these thoughts away, only to return in a never-ending feedback loop, rather than face them head on and really grapple with the consequences.
In my approach to therapy, I help process negative thought patterns that are keeping you stuck in the past and work to desensitize any trauma you might be experiencing. Together we will face your demons and work through them in a constructive manner. I will help you trade in “I’m not good enough” for a “What if?” mentality.
I believe in digging deep and pulling up the weeds at the roots, rather than just ripping the tops off in willful ignorance of the fact that they will grow back thicker and taller than ever.
I also teach awareness (mindfulness?), incorporate breathing techniques, and utilize Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to help process those weeds and then yank them out for good.
For over 10 years now I have been helping individuals and couples get to the bottom of their issues and insecurities, figure out exactly what it is that’s holding them back, and then give them the tools to help them clear the way to a fulfilling life.
Going to therapy isn’t easy. But like going to the gym, it becomes easier and feels better with routine and practice. I work hard with my clients and I ask for the same dedication from you.
In the beginning, I find that weekly therapy sessions will get results faster. Like the gym, therapy may not be fun at first, but with some time you will realize it is an invaluable investment, the benefits of which will last a lifetime.
I am very passionate about helping people who feel stuck in life. People who just can’t seem to shake that underlying feeling of un-fulfillment, who can’t even pinpoint why they’re feeling this way in the first place.
These feelings can lead to anxiety, depression and other problems, including eating disorders and obsessive or compulsive behavior, to name a few.
Maintaining healthy, long-term relationships under these circumstances can be very difficult. You might experience constant anxiety over whether or not your partner understands where you’re coming from. And holding serious conversations about these things is very difficult for most people.
I have called my Therapy practice, Center for Mindful Counseling because I am here to take you from sickness and stuck to being mentally healthy and whole.
Often people ask me about the techniques and methods that I sue when I’m working with client’s. Techniques and methods are a part of my overall tool kit. As an experienced, Licensed Professional Counselor I have undertaken additional training to be able to use techniques that I know to work.
Not every client will need them.
The purpose of this page is to help you understand some of the terminology that we as Professional Counselors sometimes use, and what a specific method might be used for.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing ( EMDR) as a method of psychotherapy that helps people to heal from distressing events and memories of life events. It uses natural eye movements to help reprocess a traumatic event.
EMDR therapy has shown that the mind can heal from a psychological trauma in much the same way as the physical body can heal from a physical trauma.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a short-term form of therapy that focuses on adult relationships and attachment/bonding. The therapist and clients look at patterns in the relationship and take steps to create a more secure bond and develop more trust to move the relationship in a healthier, more positive direction.
Here is my short video about the process:
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a short-term form of therapy that focuses on adult relationships and attachment/bonding. The therapist and clients look at patterns in the relationship and take steps to create a more secure bond and develop more trust to move the relationship in a healthier, more positive direction.
EFT is best known as a cutting edge, tested and proven couple intervention, but it is also used to address individual depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress (EFIT – Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy) and to repair family bonds (EFFT – Emotionally Focused Family Therapy). This model operationalizes the principles of attachment science using non-pathologizing experiential (paralleling Carl Rogers) and relational systems techniques (paralleling Salvador Minuchin) to focus on and change core organizing factors in both the self and key relationships.
