MY APPROACH

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"Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity."

Simone Weil

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How do I work? I always get a kick out of the names of different types of therapy modalities, because to any regular person they all sound equally great, and equally opaque. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Emotion Focused Therapy. Client-Centered Therapy. Solution-Focused Therapy. That’s why to describe my approach as “Contemporary Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy," although accurate, is pretty meaningless to anyone outside the mental health field. I will say that for me, the foundation of any successful therapy experience is the co-creation of an emotionally safe environment where patients feel deeply heard and understood.  I work to build an authentic relationship with patients in which they feel both supported and respectfully challenged, and where they can be honest with themselves about what they're struggling with. And sometimes we'll have a good laugh.

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Is this approach empirically supported?  Has it been shown to be as, or more, effective than other common modalities such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy?  Yes, and yes.  (See more articles in the Resources section).

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So what can a new patient expect?  We’ll start with what’s most distressing at the moment, whether it’s a chronic issue or a new major life event causing stress. How deep the work goes and how long you stay is entirely up to you. Some people come once a week for a few months and feel that they’ve gotten the support, healing, and skills they were needing.

    

Other people are seeking deeper change, and a more holistic understanding of themselves. They may have had previous experiences with therapy and now feel more ready to explore the root sources of painful relationship patterns, or address old trauma. Many people who seek out therapy had parents with mood or personality disorders, addictions, or who for other reasons were neglectful, rageful, or highly critical. Whether one's parents (or oneself) have received an official diagnosis or not, people know when they're carrying around old pain and old ways of coping that they need help to address.

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MY AREAS OF SPECIALTY

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I specialize in depth-oriented treatment with adult individuals and couples only. Within that population, I enjoy the vitality of a diverse practice encompassing adults of all genders, ages, and backgrounds. In addition to the most common issues that lead people to seek out therapy--anxiety, depression, grief, and compulsions/addictions--I've been fortunate to receive advanced training and supervision in the following areas:

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TRAUMA

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I’m a graduate of the one-year Trauma Studies Program at LAISPS, which included modules on treating complex PTSD, the neurobiology of trauma, and cultural influences on the transmission of trauma. I've also completed the Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM) Level 1 Training, which focuses on the biological basis of trauma and skills-based interventions to improve the quality of life for survivors of all types of trauma. I have extensive clinical experience and training in working with adult survivors of ‘relational trauma’ stemming from having had parents with mental health issues and addictions.

 

CREATIVE BLOCK

 

From my dissertation research, I’ve developed a deeper understanding of how one’s need to create can become a source of pain rather than joy, and I have a roadmap of how to rehabilitate a dysfunctional relationship with one’s art or craft. I start with an assessment of stuck points (e.g. perfectionism, procrastination, coping with rejection, feelings of disconnection from one's artist self), and provide a mixture of psychoeducation, behavioral techniques, suggested reading, and an exploration of internal 'parts' and the extent to which they support or block one's creative engagement. Artists are often trauma survivors as well, and the intersection of these two aspects of self can be a fruitful area of investigation.

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COUPLES THERAPY

Couples work is different than individual in more ways than simply the number of people in the room (which by the way, is seven--each member of the couple brings their internalized parents along with them!); the 'patient' is the relationship itself, and requires something different from both patients and therapist. Couples therapy works best when both partners are also doing individual work of some form, although this isn't a requirement per se. I use my psychoanalytic training as the core of how I understand relational dynamics; I also have training in Emotion-Focused Therapy and Differentiation-based approaches. I am definitely more active and directive with couples, and incorporate exercises and skill-building, since most couples need to learn the basics of direct (as opposed to passive or aggressive) communication, how to express their needs more vulnerably and clearly, how to repair ruptures, etc, in addition to resolving particular issues. I offer 50 and 65-minute sessions, since many couples feel that an extended session works better for them.

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MINDFULNESS

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I have studied and trained in meditative and mindfulness techniques and Buddhist metapsychology at the Shambala Center in Los Angeles, as well as during my UCLA coursework. I’ve also been fortunate to attend several weekend retreats at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY with American-born Buddhist nun Pema Chodron. I do not impose meditation or mindfulness techniques on patients, because it’s a powerful, but not necessarily a benign, tool.  But my clinical outlook is rooted in the wisdom tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as in psychoanalysis and trauma-informed therapies.

 

MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

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I love working with other pre- and post-licensure therapists, from various angles. I have been a group supervisor for interns in clinical training at Southern California Counseling Center; an individual supervisor for pre-licensed trainees, a consultant  to licensed therapists seeking to deepen their clinical understanding; and a past board member of the Wright Institute Los Angeles Alumni Association, where I created and implemented a year-long mentorship program that matched current trainees with alumni and aided in their professional development. I also have experience working with licensed therapists in my private practice, who are seeking a depth-oriented treatment of their own as the underpinning of their professional work.

 

CHRONIC HEALTH ISSUES

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I have sought out expert consultation and training to support my work with individuals living with chronic health and chronic pain issues, or who are survivors of past health crises (e.g., cancer, serious illness in childhood). I assist patients in navigating the delicate balance between accepting and handling the reality of living with illness, and being curious about connections between the body’s distress and unconscious mental and emotional contents. Many people with health issues also have a history of past medical trauma, which makes my trauma-informed outlook a useful complement. When needed, I’m happy to help form, or participate in, a treatment team approach, communicating with patients’ other doctors and treatment providers.

 

TRANSITION TO PARENTHOOD

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There are few other life events in which one is as radically and permanently changed in an instant as the moment one becomes a parent. It's moving to work with individuals and couples who are in the discernment process about whether to try for a child (including same-sex and trans couples who are exploring the options available to them); with expectant parents; and with patients in the midst of the unique, extreme stresses and joys of early parenthood. My training has included a one year infant observation experience, which sharpened my understanding of how infants' and parents’ mental states intertwine, and how having a child dramatically reactivates the earliest self-states inside the parent, for better and for worse.