clinical inspiration

This page is dedicated to some of the things that inspires me in my psychotherapy practice, how I work with clients, and the foundations for how I hold space for you to explore your life. My work is informed by several different theoretical  models including mindfulness, attachment, trauma, gestalt, acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioral, expressive arts, and narrative theories.

I often approach sessions in assessing the felt sense of what the client is experiencing and then work within that context either using more verbal, sensory, or creative approaches towards exploring these issues and reconnecting with themselves in a new way.

I am slightly obsessed with Bréne Brown. Not only is she is an amazing story teller, but her theories and information are grounded in over ten years of qualitative research. She studies shame, resiliency, and vulnerability. Here are a few of her TedX talks. I also have links to her books on the book page. I find her work extraordinarily helpful in the process of rewriting our stories.

Tara Brach is an inspiring psychotherapist whose work is informed by eastern theory and Buddhism. Here is a talk she gave on reacting vs responding. It’s a bit long but if you have the time it’s worth watching to get a sense of what she has to offer. Her work provides opportunity to re-experience the process in which we relate to our experiences and find the pause to reinvent our responses.

My practice is largely inspired by attachment theory. With the work of leading experts in neurobiology of the brain, we have come to understand more and more that we are wired for connection and the brain, although wired around experience, has placidity throughout the life span (i.e possibility for change.)

Bruce Perry has informed much of the work in our communities about attachment, development of the brain, and trauma. The Trauma Center at the Justice Resource Institute in Boston offers several articles to understand early complex trauma in children and adults. You can read some of the articles here. I find understanding how our brains and body are affected by trauma, anxiety, and depression helps us to explore the narrative of our past and rewrite our new story.

For those clients who choose to engage with it, I offer expressive arts as a modality for exploration. The majority of my work with children and teens includes some form of creative art modalities. Here is a video by Natalie Rogers about some of her expressive arts work with clients. (please not I am not a registered art therapist, rather I hold a level II certificate in expressive art facilitation along with my clinical license).

 

This is a beautiful video done by Healing Arts Family Connection about the power of expressive arts in helping children and families.

 

Narrative therapy is another model that influences the type of therapy I provide. Here is a lovely video interview with Stephen Madigan about a few of the tenants of narrative work with children and families. Narrative work clearly helps us reconnect to our own inner wisdom and redesign our perceptions

Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) has been called the third wave of Cognitive Behavioral therapy. I appreciate that it takes CBT concepts and weaves in helpful metaphors, mindfulness, and eastern philosophy. This video is with Dr. Russ Harris demonstrating some of the concepts of ACT using metaphors. (anyone who works with me will quickly learn that I utilize a lot of metaphors in my practice.)