I approach therapy by trying to better understand your reasons for pursuing treatment and ways in which you may be motivated to improve your life. Oftentimes, people can be confused by how therapy can change or improve their life.

 

An important aspect of our work together will be to better understand what encouraged you to seek treatment and how therapy can best help you with living the life that feels most meaningful. I see myself as sitting in the passenger seat, providing you guidance, empathy, and encouraging curiosity as you drive the car to your destination.

 

I may make recommendations for pit stops along the way or help you see the different paths that are available to you. I’ve found that this approach helps with therapy being transparent, authentic, collaborative, and respectful.

 

There are different therapy approaches that work well for different people. As such, my therapy approach depends on what the person wants help with and may be a good fit for them.

 

Generally, my therapeutic approach emphasizes mentalizing, attachment, and psychodynamic principles. This means that I help you to understand how early relationships and experiences may have impacted your current personality, relationships, and problems in living. I frequently incorporate aspects of other therapy approaches (e.g., dialectical behavior therapy) that utilize skills or behavioral strategies.

 

An area of expertise I offer is collaborative/therapeutic psychological assessment. People pursue psychological assessment for a variety of reasons, including answering questions about diagnoses, better understand relationship issues, explore why previous engagement in therapy has not led to long-lasting change, provide a roadmap for future treatment, and discuss specific treatment recommendations.

 

You may also be referred by your therapist and/or psychiatrist for an assessment. A unique component of collaborative/therapeutic assessment is that the questions are posed by you, and we explore these questions in depth through psychological tests and therapy sessions. You can learn more about this type of assessment here: https://www.therapeuticassessment.com/faq.php

 

My training background in child/adolescent psychology and therapeutic approach lends well to working with emerging/young adults, family conflict, disordered eating, identity concerns, trauma, relationship difficulties, and low self-esteem. If you feel like we might be a good fit or are interested in talking more about pursuing collaborative/therapeutic assessment or therapy, please contact me for a brief consultation.

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Background 

I received my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. During graduate school, I received training in a variety of settings, including inpatient and outpatient psychiatric and medical settings with children, adolescents, and adults. I also completed extensive, supervised training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

 

Following graduate school, I completed a one-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Menninger Clinic where I received specialized training in psychological assessment with complex psychiatric presentations. The specific types of assessments I have received training in include adolescent and adult autism assessments and projective assessments. I have also obtained Level I Certification from the Therapeutic Assessment Institute.

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Contact me for a free, brief consultation and we can discuss your needs and wants for yourself and determine if we would work well together.

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Specialties: 

Psychological Testing/ Therapeutic Assessment

Young Adults

Relationship Difficulties

Identity and Self-esteem issues

PTSD & Trauma 

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Rates: 225 for 50 minute session

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The above rate is the full fee this therapist charges for a standard 50 minute session. However, we do not want cost to be prohibitive of people getting the help they need. All of our therapists provide a portion of their services for a reduced fee to help those who can benefit from psychotherapy but might not be able to afford their full fee. 

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