ADULTS

There are no rules around what therapy needs to look like for you. It need not be once a week for the rest of your life. I do not have a couch for you to lay on. It’s possible you may not need to talk about your mother….

What matters the most is what matters to you the most. What is going on with you that you need help with? What types of changes are you hoping to make in your life? Are there things you are needing support moving on from, healing from, in your life?

My clients have ranged from people wanting to learn how to reduce the frequency and intensity of conflict with their partners, to people struggling with depression, anxiety, and panic attacks, to people wrestling with existential issues and searching for meaning in their lives. I’ve gone deep with clients to help them heal from childhood trauma, and I’ve met with clients for 4 or 5 sessions to strengthen their communication skills, learn how to better advocate for themselves, and set boundaries.

Modalities I draw from include: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Internal Family Systems, Polyvagal Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Coping Skills development and utilization, Mindfulness Training, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Resolutions, Guided Imagery, and Spiritual Resourcing Therapy.

My commitment to you is to show up, be present, and be honest. I will never be thinking something that you will not hear. I am not a therapist who will just sit there and listen to you for an hour. My clients typically walk out of my office with notes I’ve taken during the session with suggestions, things to think about, questions to answer for yourself between sessions. I am a believer that most of the work you will do will be outside of my office.

My office is at 125 La Posta Road, suite A, in Taos, New Mexico. I am open to also doing telehealth. My preference is to meet in person at least once or twice before shifting to telehealth. That said, if not possible for this in-person meeting to happen I am open to working together from the start via zoom. After our initial consultation phone call, if we decide to move forward I will email you paperwork such as Confidentiality, Informed Consent, a brief Intake, and other basic forms that must be completed electronically before we get started.

Call Me If…

• You are truly ready to create positive change for yourself
• You are willing to take an honest look at yourself and your life
• You want to learn how to be part of the solution
• You are ready to commit to the process of change
• You are able and willing to be open-minded, take suggestions, and do things differently – so you can have new experiences
• You want emotional stability and tools for self-empowerment
• You want to feel you have direction and purpose in your life

I do not teach about or guide people through anything I have not been through myself. Clinical Depression and Anxiety. Drug Addiction. Divorce and Navigating Relationships. Parenting and Co-Parenting. Underachieving. Self-abuse, Self-Doubt, Self-Sabotage, and Self-Limiting Fears. Hopelessness and Self-Pity. Feeling Lost. Spiritual Bankruptcy and Spiritual Growth.

TEENS

I’ve been working with teenagers since being in school for my master’s in psychology counseling in 2007. Back then I worked at an inpatient facility for teenagers who’d gotten the short end of the stick in life, experiencing horrific trauma, neglect, and emotional abuse. It was here I began learning how to connect with these kids, help them feel seen, and guide them in the direction of recovery and healing.

Being a teenager has always been a challenge, even for those kids with stable homes. Who am I? Where do I fit in? How do I feel about myself? – all questions teenagers navigate. Many of the teens I work with do not have stable homes, an additional burden. These days teens are also navigating phones, social media, and a world full of stressful headlines. Many teenagers feel lost, have trouble connecting with peers and developing friendships, and struggle with varying degrees of depression and anxiety.

My approach is based on identifying the core of who these teenagers are, helping them see it and own it, and then supporting them as they learn to accept and love themselves. My feeling is that before you can be in healthy relationships with others, it helps to have a healthy relationship with yourself. Sometimes the path to feeling better about yourself is identifying where you can have influence in your own life and focusing energy there, instead of on all those things outside your control.

Within this context of self-empowerment, I often help teens identify faulty thinking patterns that perpetuate their distress and teach them ways to practice new ways of thinking and of seeing things that serve them better. I teach kids coping and grounding skills such as breathwork and mindfulness that help them be with and accept their feelings without having to react in ways that create problems for themselves. Teens are often grateful to have their feelings normalized and their challenges validated – to hear that what they’re going through is ‘normal’ and they are not going insane.

I often suggest to parents that if their teen is hesitant about seeing a counselor (teens tend to like ‘counselor’ instead of ‘therapist’…) to tell them there is no commitment beyond going in once to check this guy out, see what you think. If your teen is willing to come and doesn’t feel I am a good fit for them I will help them find someone who is.

Additionally, I am willing to meet teenagers at their school if this is the only option in making a meeting happen.