Individual Psychotherapy
In individual counseling, I can help you...
Navigate a major loss or transition
Have you ever felt as if the ground was giving way under your feet? Major losses and life transitions can be painful, and disorienting. It's important that you give yourself time to grieve the old life that's dissolving and decide what you really want as you move forward. I can provide you with support and guidance through this process.
Meet the challenge of relationships
Intimate relationships can be joyful and fulfilling. They can also be tremendously challenging. I work with individuals when they are facing obstacles in trusting their partner, feeling loved, or working through conflicts. I can help you bring gentleness and clarity to this process.
Find your way as a highly sensitive or spiritually-oriented person
Being a highly-sensitive person in our culture is a bit like being a finely tuned sound system trying to host a heavy metal concert. As children, many highly sensitive people are given the message that they are supposed to be just like everyone else, and aren't allowed to pay attention to their own particular needs. But in order to be in a position to enjoy the gifts of being sensitive, you need to be willing to listen to and honor your own feelings and needs. Likewise, people with a spiritual-orientation may feel lost in our culture, which doesn't acknowledge the spiritual dimension of life. In order to live a fulfilling life, it's important to make space in your life for this very real, important part of who you are.
Engage with your own unique spiritual path
Many of us lead our lives with our conscious minds as our only guides. Meanwhile, our deepest feelings, aspirations, and wisdom often remain below the surface of our awareness. Buddhist practice and Jungian soul work are both about opening up a dialogue between our conscious mind and our larger resources of wisdom. When we are able to connect with the deeper layers of our nature, we can begin making decisions that honor our whole self.
You may have found it very difficult to find people who you can talk to about your unique experience of spirituality. Many spiritual approaches speak about spirituality in a "one-size-fits-all" kind of way- as if human beings' paths of spiritual growth were basically the same. The truth is, human beings are radically different from one another and each one of us comes into this life with a very unique path of learning to tread. What is true and helpful for one person may not be at all helpful for another. I am committed to helping you understand how your own unique path of spiritual growth is unfolding, and the wisdom you can find by listening more deeply to your own center, and by opening to your own genuine guides.
For a free consultation, call (503) 998-2297
Heal anxiety
Sometimes, your body is yelling at you that something is wrong; but there's either nothing you can do about it, or you don't know what it is. When these feelings are overwhelming, they can consume all of your attention, and make it very difficult for you to function or enjoy your life.
In order to resolve anxiety, it's necessary to turn towards the feelings you are experiencing with acceptance and loving-kindness. Therapy can give you the gentle space to be with your feelings, which often point to truths you've been struggling to acknowledge and honor. Finding ways to honor what your body is telling you can set you free from anxiety.
Heal childhood and relationship trauma
Trauma causes fragmentation in the psyche. It can leave you feeling confused, isolated, overwhelmed, and cut off from your ability to feel. Healing trauma involves mending this fragmentation:
- Reestablishing a coherent, positive sense of self
- Reestablishing bonds of trust with other people
- Reconnecting with your body and feelings
- Reestablishing a coherent sense of your past, present & future
When the trauma you experienced happened in a relationship, learning to trust again can be difficult. But it is possible to trust, to mend, and to feel whole again. I can help, no matter where you are in the process.
Manage, understand and resolve anger
Anger contains wisdom. It is a signal from the body that you feel threatened, your boundaries are being violated or your needs are not being taken into account. But anger can also be destructive to relationships. I can support you in learning to give space to and honor what you are feeling, without endangering your relationships by acting out your anger impulsively or pointing it at the people you care about.