Individual Therapy

We often hear that “everyone can benefit from therapy.” While I think this is true, we often come into therapy in the aftermath of some kind of crisis, or when we are experiencing pain and distress. As trite as it may sound, acknowledging the existence of pain - that we are suffering, that our lives are not exactly what we envisioned or that we are not feeling our best despite how it may appear on the outside - and reaching out to soothe it, is a huge step.

Though I work with a diverse range of clients, many of my clients are young adults seeking therapy for the first time. Often they are immigrants or children of immigrants from families where mental health and therapy are not routine topics of conversation. As such, coming into therapy can feel intimidating - What happens in the room? What do we talk about? How would I know that it is working? Usually in our initial consultation calls, I try to provide space for potential clients to ask these questions and we begin to build a therapeutic relationship and set goals for our work together. Because I work from a psychodynamic perspective, therapy often looks like a process of gaining self-knowledge, understanding how our pasts affects our present, and learning to feel safe and comfortable in relationship with others.

Some of the issues my clients bring in:

Trauma and intergenerational trauma

Stress and issues related to immigration, migration, acculturation

Explorations of gender and sexual identity, coming out

Experiences around marginalization due to racial, sexual, gender identity

Challenges in relationships, including in friendships

Questions around career path and satisfaction, especially for those in helping and creative roles

Body image and disordered eating

Living with severe and chronic mental illness including depression and bipolar disorder

Substance use as well as caregiving to substance-using loved ones

The structure of individual therapy often looks like weekly 60 minute sessions, though folks opt for more or less frequent sessions depending on need and financial capacity. While the first few sessions are spent more on getting to know each other and settling into the routine of therapy, clients do walk away with increased insight and understanding of their inner selves and what may be creating or exacerbating pain and distress, as well as a sense of being supported and cared for in navigating their challenges. While my style is compassionate and gentle, I don’t just sit back, nod, and validate. I encourage clients to face the things in their lives that are distressing and give them the courage to make changes and confront the painful aspects of themselves. Sessions with me tend to be more unstructured, allowing for exploration of various themes and emotions. Rather than providing advice or reassuring platitudes, I provide interpretations of what may be happening beneath the surface, and point to aspects of the dynamic between myself the client that can help shine a light on how the client interacts with their world. While I don’t give worksheets or homework assignments, I sometimes ask clients to attune to certain aspects of their lives in between sessions and practice skills that can help them move through difficult emotions and situations. Clients often experience short-term relief from being fully seen, heard, and accepted and long-term relief in gaining confidence and self-compassion, and feeling braver and more resilient in their day-to-day lives.

For folks living with the aftermath of trauma, I also provide EMDR therapy as a modality of processing through traumatic memories and shifting negative beliefs resulting from trauma.