About
Gifts that you give yourself are a focus on your care…
… and the choice to go to therapy is self-care.
Self-care is not self-indulgence – it is self-compassion. Developing self-compassion builds your resiliency. To unburden yourself from what you have been carrying around since childhood is a part of the therapeutic process.
Carrying shame instilled at an early age is a burden. We all have patterns established in childhood, and sometimes the patterns are carried into our adult life. Unfortunately, some of these patterns no longer serve us. Understanding patterns can bring clarity. Let’s have a conversation. Let’s go back in time back to when you were a child.
“What was it like for you?”
“Describe yourself and your caregivers using adjectives that a child would use.”
Find your inner child and your authentic self, that part of you that has always been inside you.
Does this sound familiar… “I remember when I was eight years old, and I always seem to be alone. I would come home from school and let myself into the house with my key. The house was so quiet it was sometimes scary, and I would want to go outside and look for someone, usually a neighbor, but no-one was home.”
Telling your story can be therapeutic, but exploring the impact childhood has is most relevant to our relationships and patterns in adult life. The process moves from telling your story to recognition. With the resulting understanding, you connect the dots and intentionally change behaviors and patterns.
Here are some ways we’ll work together…
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is incorporated into each session, offering a physical means to understand and recognize your story. Traumatic events that may be part of your story are addressed by incorporating EMDR or Art Therapy into the sessions. Perhaps taking part in an Art Therapy group unexpectedly offers clarity…
“When I drew my family, I realized that everyone was holding hands but me. I was much smaller and on the bottom of the page.”
“I could feel this in my body, a gripping pain in my stomach and tightness in my throat.”
“I realized I didn’t have a voice as a child, and as an adult, I still don’t.”
“I don’t know how to ask for what I need or want.”
I can help you learn to identify and ask for what you need and want, believing that you have value and worth – learning self-love and self-compassion, which will enhance your relationships.
About Me
I have been creating and looking at art and people for my entire life.
At a young age, my art was how I spoke to the world.
My art included drawing people, and I eventually started doing commissioned portraits. This was always a collaborative process – seeing the person in front of me, listening to their stories, and painting their portrait.
By the time I finished the portrait, I usually knew this person very well, and I realized the portrait would often speak to the sitter saying, “I see you.” I see you as you are without judging you.
As time passed, I loved making art and sharing it with others. I earned my master’s in Art Therapy and Counseling, and I furthered my development as a counselor by adding trauma work.
Today I continue to make art, and it is still a way to speak to the world.
Finding the right therapist can make all the difference.
“The way you speak to others can offer them joy,
happiness, self-confidence, hope, trust, and enlightenment.
Mindful speaking is a deep practice.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh
Trauma is a specialized field in counseling. If you are seeking trauma resolution, you will need a therapist who has this specialty. The Meadows Behavioral Health is where I specialized in trauma by working inpatient and then outpatient and extended follow-up care – treating trauma through a lens of addiction, depression, and anxiety, including the Inner Child Work.
I have worked extensively with individuals and groups. My clients range in age from Young Adult-hood to Seniors, all with one thing in common – they couldn’t live life fully or authentically. A therapist’s experience and methods plus location are part of the mix in deciding who is a good fit for you.
An atmosphere of calm and safety…
My office and studio are in Cave Creek, AZ, nestled in a grove of Tamarisk trees surrounded by a Spanish-style wall offering an atmosphere of calm and safety.
Many people who have visited my office and studio often comment on what a special place this is. Feeling comforted by being in nature is very spiritual for some and grounding for others. This atmosphere also offers an opportunity to work outside while learning the benefits of SE and mindful practices.
I can help you find the clarity you desire…
… by addressing your core issues or getting unstuck to live life fully. Isn’t that what everyone wants – to live a fully authentic life? I can help you.
Contact me today, and let’s see if we are a good fit for a therapeutic alliance. I offer a complimentary phone consultation, so call today, and let’s get started: (480) 431-4994.
If you prefer to set up a telehealth consultation, that is also possible.
Inviting change into your life may be less painful than remaining the same.