Trauma is not what happens to you. It is what happens inside of you as a result of what happens to you.
- Gabor Maté

Therapy is like a garden.

 

Here, the “weeds” are those unwanted thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that keep popping up, and which prevent flowers from flourishing. There are two ways to get rid of the weeds: one is to pull them up at the surface, which gets rid of them in the short-term—but they’ll soon return. The other way is to dig deep: to uncover the root system, and dig them out, root by root.

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As a trauma-informed therapist, I believe in digging deep. Present-day problems such as relationship issues, anxiety, and low self-esteem, are often tied to core memories and attachment issues. These issues are best resolved through trauma reprocessing, which allows a person to reintegrate the painful memory in their psyche so that the memory no longer stings. Trauma therapy is so much more than symptom management: it provides symptom resolution. 

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At the same time, I understand that there can be no trauma reprocessing until you feel safe enough within yourself and with your therapist. Trust and safety are essential to good therapy. That’s why, in addition to utilizing trauma techniques such as EMDR, I teach Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, resource-building, and mindfulness techniques. You are the expert on yourself, and you are in charge of your therapy process.

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I believe that my job is three-fold: to ask questions that will help you identify what’s preventing you from flourishing; to guide you and attune with you so that you feel safe enough to start uncovering your “root system”; and, to use evidence-based techniques to help you dig up your "roots." With the weeds cleared, you will have the freedom to create the garden of your dreams.