Treatment Approaches

Here comes the alphabet soup part of every therapist’s website highlighting the acronyms of different treatment modalities . This is actually very important for how you will choose which therapist has the right skills, experience, and approach to best support you or your adolescent.

I am Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) 1994

Licensed Medical Massage Therapist (LMT) 2003

Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) 2013

I have 30 years experience providing specialized psychotherapy and support for adolescents and adults moving through issues related to depression, stress/anxiety, PTSD, sexual abuse/rape survivors, emotional and physical abuse, substance abuse, grief/loss, migraines, perfectionism, school stressors, relational stress, attachment issues, LGBTQIA+, religious trauma, chronic pain/illness, medical trauma, falls/injuries, car accidents, natural disasters such as fires, floods, tornados, hurricanes, and animal attacks.

Therapy modalities I use in my practice:

DBT - Dialectical Behavioral Therapy - Developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan. DBT focuses on helping individuals build skills in four key areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

CBT - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - A widely-used therapeutic approach that focuses on identifying and modifying negative thought patterns and behaviors. By exploring how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected, CBT helps individuals develop healthier coping strategies and improve their mental well-being.

ACT - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - A form of cognitive behavioral therapy that encourages individuals to embrace their thoughts and feelings rather than battling against them. ACT is particularly helpful for individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, trauma, and other mental health issues. By learning to accept their experiences and choose meaningful actions based on their values, individuals can lead more fulfilling lives even in the face of difficulties.

EFT - Emotional Freedom Technique - also known as acupressure tapping, is a therapeutic method that involves tapping on specific meridian points on the body while focusing on emotional experiences or physical sensations. This technique aims to help release emotional blockages, reduce stress, and promote a sense of well-being.The tapping process is believed to stimulate the body's meridian system, restoring the balance of energy flow and promoting emotional healing. As the individual continues to tap and focus on the issue, the intensity of the feeling often decreases. The process is repeated until the distress associated with the issue subsides, ideally bringing a sense of emotional relief and freedom. Many people find EFT tapping to be a helpful tool for managing anxiety, addressing past traumas, reducing phobias, and improving overall emotional well-being. It can be used as a self-help technique or integrated into therapy sessions.

Experiential Play Therapy - A form of therapy primarily designed for children, although it can also be beneficial for adolescents and adults. During play therapy sessions, clients use various toys, games, and art materials to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a nonverbal way. Through play therapy, clients can learn to understand and manage their emotions, improve their communication and social skills, resolve conflicts, and develop coping strategies. It allows them to work through traumatic experiences, anxiety, behavioral issues, and other challenges in a developmentally appropriate way.

Trauma-Focused Treatment Approaches:

SE - Somatic Experiencing - Developed by Dr. Peter Levine, it aims to resolve symptoms of stress, shock, and trauma that accumulate in our bodies. Through gentle awareness of bodily sensations and movements, clients are guided to release energy from the nervous system, promoting self-regulation and resilience. When we are stuck in patterns of fight, flight, or freeze, SE helps us release, recover, and become more resilient. The SE approach releases traumatic shock, which is key to transforming PTSD and the wounds of emotional and early developmental attachment trauma. It offers a framework to assess where a person is “stuck” in the fight, flight or freeze responses and provides clinical tools to resolve these fixated physiological states. By addressing trauma held in the body, SE aims to help individuals restore a sense of safety, empowerment, and wholeness. It is a body-oriented therapeutic model applied in multiple professions and professional settings—psychotherapy, medicine, coaching, teaching, and physical therapy—for healing trauma and other stress disorders. It is based on a multidisciplinary intersection of physiology, psychology, ethology, biology, neuroscience, indigenous healing practices, and medical biophysics and has been clinically applied for more than four decades. https://traumahealing.org/se-101/

I completed a 3-year certification training through the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute in 2013, earning a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) credential and I discovered how to integrate both mind and bodywork effectively in treatment for better outcomes for my clients.

Somatic Touch Therapy - A holistic approach that integrates body awareness and touch to address physical and emotional traumas. This gentle therapy focuses on promoting self-regulation, releasing tension, and restoring balance in the body. In 2016, I acquired advanced training in Somatic Touch Therapy and The Somatics of Complex Emotions, through trainings offered by Kathy Kain, SEP. As a licensed bodyworker I am able to incorporate somatic touch when needed for clients who are healing from trauma, injury, abuse, and nervous system overwhelm. Through mindful touch and attunement, somatic touch therapy aims to help individuals connect with their bodily sensations, process unresolved emotions, and enhance overall well-being. The therapeutic process respects each person's unique experiences and promotes a sense of safety and empowerment. Although I am licensed as medical massage therapist (LMT) I do not provide traditional massage therapy services.

EMDR- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a structured psychotherapy developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro, an approach designed to help individuals process past traumatic experiences. The goal of EMDR is to reduce the distress associated with traumatic memories by enabling the brain to reprocess these memories in a healthier way. During an EMDR session, I will guide my client through sets of bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, taps, or auditory tones. These bilateral stimulations help access and process traumatic memories that may be “stuck” or unprocessed. The unique aspect of EMDR is its focus on facilitating the brain's natural ability to heal from psychological trauma and does not require the client to tell the story of what happened. Through the reprocessing of traumatic memories, individuals can experience relief from symptoms such as flashbacks, anxiety, and negative beliefs associated with the trauma. EMDR is considered an effective treatment for PTSD, as well as other mental health conditions related to past trauma. https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/

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