A Therapist and His Dog…
Thor and I are so glad you are here! Even if you decide to go a different direction in therapy, being here means you are thinking about change and taking the first steps to begin the healing journey of therapy—we wish you the best on this journey, but let us tell you a little about ourselves (I’ll keep the boring stuff brief). I originally moved to the Western Slope from Oregon to pursue my Master of Social Work from University of Denver’s Western Slope program. I fell in love with winding canyons, craggy peaks, an untamable rivers. I also met Thor as a rescue from Underdog Rescue 2020 and we’ve been best friends since. Together, we are committed to meeting you exactly where you are today and to helping fostering what growth and healing may await you in our work together.
My Approach Therapy L
For me, therapy is more than just a place to talk about pain, hurt, or suffering—although this is often an important place to begin. It is a safe and sacred space where we can begin the process of healing ourselves, seeking growth, and learning to turn inward so that when the road gets hard, we know we can rely on ourselves and those we have in our life. I’ll discuss the tools I use for this process in a different section, but what I want every client to know is that therapy is a place to do the work. In my practice, this often means learning tangible skills and learning to sit with, sometimes painful, emotions, thoughts, and memories so that we may learn to be transformed rather than depleted. Telling our story is important, but it is only one part of the healing journey. I want to welcome you into a healing relationship where we can do the work in a safe, warm, and accepting place. at your own pace. I welcome all the parts of you into this space.
Clients I work with
I often work with people who feel powerless, defeated, stuck, or as though their emotions rule their life. Perhaps this describes you. You may feeling swept up in the current of everyday life just trying to get by only to wake up and do the same thing tomorrow. You may find that in relationships, you are not the person you’d like to be. Perhaps finding that relationships come with conflict, a fear of abandonment, or a deep seated belief that you are not good enough compared to others around you. you might tried changing you’re perspective, reading a book, or starting a new routine in the hope things will change, but finding you never quite have the capacity to sustain this change. You may feel disconnected from those around you, or your own bodies and wrestle with intrusive memories and thoughts of the past which keep you feeling stuck. You are not alone in this and healing is possible.
Therapies Practiced
Here is the thing, it isn’t about what’s wrong with you it is about what happened to you. Often “symptoms” are born out of previous experiences which have taught us ways to protect ourselves and stay safe, but are no longer serving us. My approach to therapy is to utilize proven and evidenced based therapies that work with the body, nervous system, and mind to help regain control of emotions, feel safe and experience stability in relationship, and heal how we view ourselves and the world around us.
These therapies include:
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Ego States/Parts Work
Polyvagal Theory Informed skills to help with with your nervous system and provide soothing and calming when you feel distressed.
Areas of focus
Post-Traumatic Stress
Complex Post Traumatic Stress
Anxiety
Grief and Loss (both death and non-death loss)
Religious Trauma
Low self-worth or poor self image
Shame
Regaining Identity
Relationship Conflict (although I don’t offer couple sessions)
Somatic symptoms
Panic
Intrusive thoughts and memories
