My therapeutic style is warm, genuine, down-to-earth, practical, conversational, and collaborative with a dash of humor and just a few (well…more than a few) pop culture references thrown in. Clients say that sessions (even the sad ones) are more fun than they would have expected - you might be surprised how much we laugh together despite the context. Overall, clients say that they feel understood, relieved, safe, accepted, empowered, and truly appreciated by me. When a problem can be solved, I am quite active and directive in terms of suggesting strategies and techniques to do so. But some sessions call for simply listening, holding the space, and providing support, and I find great power and meaning in those sessions as well.

What Does This Look Like in Practice?

In our first session or two, we’ll collaborate to identify your treatment goals – that is, what   you’d like to get out of our work together. In future sessions, I’ll recommend some techniques to help you accomplish those goals, focusing on teaching them to you in a straightforward, down-to-earth, and empathic way. But, we’ll only move forward if the techniques that I suggest feel like a good fit for you.

For example, if you say you’re troubled by negative thoughts about yourself (e.g., negative thoughts about changes to your body, physical limitations), about cancer (e.g., “This shouldn’t have happened to me”), or about others (e.g., about people who seem unsympathetic, unkind, or unsupportive), I’d likely suggest a cognitive-behavioral technique, like rational-emotive behavioral therapy, to help you learn to think in a more helpful but still realistic way. But, if a cognitive-behavioral approach doesn’t feel like a good fit for you (e.g., too structured), then I’ll suggest alternatives and ask for your input, until we find an approach that is both therapeutically   sound and that resonates with you.

Psychotherapy can help you to feel less stressed, more confident, and more comfortable by providing you with the support, skills, and insights you need to think and relate to the breast cancer journey in amore helpful way.