AUSTIN PSYCHOTHERAPIST

I am a psychotherapist in Austin, Texas, licensed as a Marriage & Family Therapist in both Texas (#201839) and California (#50454).  As a psychotherapist, I provide individual therapy and family therapy.  I have been a therapist for 12+ years. I have an MA Degree in Integral Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, the first East-West transpersonal psychology graduate program.  My specific orientation takes into account my on-going training in AEDP - Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (Level 2), attachment theory, Integral Psychotherapy, family systems, and both mindfulness and somatic-based techniques.  AEDP is rooted in attachment theory, emotion theory, and interpersonal neurobiology and is a major component of my work.  As an AEDP psychotherapist in Austin, I go beyond 'just talking' and work toward my clients having a visceral sense of change.  

What does this mean to you?  It means my approach is focused on what actually helps people grow.   My approach is experiential and incorporates the body, the focused attention of mindfulness, the dynamic relationship between us that invites new ways of relating, and the processing of what was once overwhelming and unbearable in a safe and supportive environment.  For this reason, I lean less toward injected interpretation and focus more on what is occurring in the present moment - where experience and change happens - all along trusting and facilitating the natural striving that I believe exists in each of us toward healing, growth, and vitality.  Insight and meaning-making will rise organically from experience.

What does this look like?  While my work is focused, what is most fundamental to me (and to the process) is that my clients always feel safe and that they also feel heard and understood.  My approach is attuned and unconditionally respectful and non-judgmental.  I am authentic, present, and real in the room.  I am more active than most therapists in helping you to slow down and bring awareness to what is emotionally alive in the present moment.  Throughout a session, I will often ask you to pay close attention to what you are noticing inside your body and in relationship to me.  As anxiety or discomfort arises, I will be there to support you in regaining a sense of security in the room with me.  While the inquiry of 'what do you notice' may seem challenging at first, I trust that you will discover that sensation leads to knowledge in ways that few things can.