Therapy Services & Process
Types of Therapy Offered
I offer therapy to address several presenting issues within the trauma, anxiety and OCD & related disorders continuum. All of my services are grounded in a strengths-based, person-centered approach, meaning that I see clients as the experts in their own lived experience and believe clients already have many strengths that have carried them through to the point they are sitting on the couch in front of me. Because shame tends to accompany most mental health concerns, I place a high value on supporting clients in developing greater self- compassion and draw a lot on the work of pioneering self-compassion researcher Dr. Kristin Neff.
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I offer Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP, Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for the treatment of OCD in youth and adults. Drawing on my experience treating OCD in Intensive Outpatient and Partial Hospitalization levels of care, I meet clients wherever they are on their OCD journey- from significantly distressing and impairing symptoms to mild OCD symptoms.
I am comfortable and have experience working with all OCD presentations, including but not limited to: harm OCD, scrupulosity OCD, contamination OCD, “Just Right” OCD, P-OCD, sexual orientation OCD, and many more.
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I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness-based therapy and exposure therapy to address symptoms of anxiety, panic and phobias. Together, we’ll support you in developing a more balanced relationship to anxiety- one where you have the resources and skills to confidently manage anxiety when it arises.
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Trauma comes in many forms and can impact us long after the traumatic experience(s) are over. Trauma can include experiences such as real or perceived threat of physical harm, sexual harm, emotional harm, neglect, identity-based discrimination and abuse, workplace harassment and abuse, and much more. Together, we’ll help you in reprocessing your trauma through the use of Eye Movement and Desensitization (EMDR); helping you reprocess negative core beliefs tied to the trauma and replacing them with more adaptive, positive beliefs. We’ll also build up skills for managing trauma triggers when they arise.
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I offer Habit Reversal Training (HRT) and mindfulness-based therapy to support individuals in overcoming their hair-pulling and skin-picking concerns. We’ll support you in becoming more mindful of triggers for picking/pulling and develop skills for resisting those urges.
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My office is primely located next to Hutchinson and James A. Bible parks in Denver, CO, allowing for walk-and-talk therapy sessions as desired. Walking is a natural form of bilateral stimulation, which helps regulate the nervous system and facilitate processing of stress. These parks are typically quiet and lightly trafficked, providing a more private setting for therapeutic conversations.
Therapy Process
Phone Consult
The first step in the therapy process is scheduling a 15-minute free phone consult with me. We’ll discuss your needs and presenting concerns, and I’ll share more about my background. If it feels like a good fit, we’ll move forward with scheduling the therapy intake.
Intake & Treatment Planning
We’ll begin by completing an intake assessment, where I’ll ask you questions about different parts of your life (e.g. medical history, social history) to learn more about the whole “you.” You can share as much or as little as you like at this point.
From there, we’ll identify treatment goals, which will serve as a roadmap for our work together. These goals can change over time as priorities & needs shift.
Ongoing Treatment
Let the healing begin! We’ll work on building skills to manage your presenting concerns, process what is coming up and work towards your treatment goals.
Along the way, we’ll have periodic check-ins to ensure symptoms are improving and that we are still aligned with our treatment goals.
Discharge
The discharge process is different for every client, but ideally we will both have a feel for when the work is naturally coming to a close- such as when symptoms have improved and you feel increased confidence in managing whatever first brought you into therapy. We’ll discuss ways you can continue to steward your mental health at home, work/school and in your social life.