INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING
INTEGRATION - THE BRAIDED RIVER CONCEPT
Healing, change, power and authenticity come through the integration of psychological, emotional, spiritual, historical, social, professional, cultural, biological, moral and ethical aspects of life. This concept of integration informs the name of my practice, and is guided by principles and values including:
- Integrating all parts of ourselves as a whole person
- Regarding life as a fluid, dynamic, powerful force
- Understanding the ways in which living in the world, experiences, and choices shape our course
- Recognizing ourselves as natural and complex beings, and aligning ourselves with other natural phenomena
Integrative medicine also plays a large role in counseling. As a counselor, I am one part of your life care team. Foundational to my ethical standard is asking whether or not the reason you are seeking counseling has medical underpinnings or could be treated by or in conjunction with another modality, whether allopathic or complementary/alternative. With your consent, I will always be willing to work with other members of your personal care team. My understanding of integrative care is influenced by the work of Julie Luzarraga (my first clinical supervisor), Dr. Andrew Weil, and Dr. James Lake.
EXISTENTIAL-HUMANISM (E-H)
I provide counseling for individuals with an Existential-Humanistic framework, which provides a means to more deeply understand who you are and how you experience life through the themes of meaning, belonging, freedom, responsibility, mortality, agency (choice), power and identity. Existential-humanistic therapy starts from a place of givens - what are the universal aspects of being human? - and then attempts to understand your individual life within them. In understanding where you find yourself in the human experience, we can then move authentically toward actualization of your potential.
My work is influenced by a number of Exustebtuak therapists and writers, including Emmy van Deurzen, Irvin Yalom, Rollo May, and James Bugental. For two years I received E-H clinical consultation from Bob Edelstein and am an affiliate of Existential-Humanistic Northwest.
Humanistically, I use the framework of Self Psychology pioneered by Heinz Kohut.
CLIENT-CENTERED, CLIENT-LED
Therapy is client-centered and client-led, meaning I do not approach you with a scripted or formulaic methodology. Using active listening, unconditional positive regard, empathy, compassion and curiosity, we explore the content and themes you bring to the session. While we will always have an established yet evolving set of goals for therapy, I do not drive sessions with an agenda.
NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROBIOLOGY
What do our bodies have to do with our thoughts, emotions or behaviors? The past 30 years have produced phenomenal breakthroughs in our understanding of what it means to be an embodied person in terms of how we make connection (or not) between mind and body, but also how life experiences become encoded into our physiology and shape the way we experience the world. Most importantly, it is a primary way of understanding safety and belonging. In therapy, I regularly use the lenses of the nervous system, Polyvagal Theory, neuroscience and neuroexistentialism to interpret experiences. Pioneers and writers in this field include Daniel Siegel, Bessel van der Kolk, Pat Ogden, Steven Porges and Deb Dana. When appropriate, we will pay attention to the body so we can understand these aspects of yourself experientially.
TRAUMA AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS
Much of the progress made in understanding the physiology of being human as it relates to our life stories, thoughts, emotions and behaviors is rooted in the quest to better understand and treat trauma. I use a trauma-competent approach to counseling which integrates neuroscience and neurobiology with the principles and practices of humanism in order to create a safe holding space for your therapeutic work. In addition to the people mentioned above, my work with trauma is influenced by the writings and trainings of Judith Herman, David Treleaven, Peter Levine, Laurence Heller, Laura Van Dernoot Lipsky, and Eric Gentry of the Arizona Trauma Institute.
SELF-COMPASSION, RADICAL ACCEPTANCE, FREEDOM AND ACTION
Greater insight into who we are that comes from an integrated existential-humanistic approach leads us to a great reward: compassion for ourselves as humans and radical acceptance of our lives and the world we live in. From this place we are empowered to make decisions and take action, large or small, with integrity that changes our quality of life and relationships. We also find peace in letting be. My understanding of these concepts is greatly influenced by the work of Tara Brach, Kristen Neff, Pema Chodron, Nischala Joy Devi, and Thich Nhat Hahn
WHAT TO EXPECT
Free Initial Consultation | We will meet by phone or video for a brief initial consultation to determine if I am the right counselor for you. |
Onboarding |
Before our first session you will receive a link to register for my client portal through Simple Practice. You will be asked to read and sign a variety of documents, and fill out an intake questionnaire. This thorough intake allows me to know a bit more about you at the outset, and allows us to maximize time during our sessions. This process could take up to 30 minutes. |
Session 1+ | We will go over a few items from your onboarding paperwork and begin our work. The first 1-3 sessions (depending on needs) are considered intakes and use a semi-structured interview process so I can get to know you and all aspects of your life better and we can collaboratively develop preliminary treatment goals. Beyond the interview, sessions are more open, with your intended focus leading the session. |
PAYMENT & INSURANCE
I accept debit and credit cards through the Simple Practice client portal. Stripe is the processor used by Simple Practice. Payment occurs at the time of service.
I accept self-pay/cash, Aetna, Optum/United, Moda and Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield insurances in Oregonfor individual therapy.
Aetna is inclusive of several health plans that are included in my insurance program, including:
- Meritain
- Nippon
- Allied Benefit Systems
- GEHA - United Healthcare Shared Services (UHSS)
- Trustmark
- Trustmark Small Business Benefits
- Health Scope
- Christian Brothers Services
Optum is inclusive of several health plans that are included in my insurance program, including:
- UnitedHealthcare
- UnitedHealthcare Shared Services (UHSS)
- GEHA - UnitedHealthcare Shared Services (UHSS)
- UnitedHealthcare Global
- UnitedHealthCare Exchange Plans (ONEX)
- Oscar
- Harvard Pilgrim
- Oxford
- UHC Student Resources
- UMR
- All Savers (UHC)
- Health Plans Inc
- Surest (Formerly Bind)