Hello! I am a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) specializing in individual, couples and family psychotherapy, with a practice in Georgetown, Texas.
MY PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND AND TRAINING
I have a master's degree in social work from the University of Texas and over 35 years experience in a variety of mental health settings. I specialize in interpersonal or relational therapies, working with a broad spectrum of client ages and concerns. My areas of focus are: couples therapy and relationship concerns; anxiety and depression: PTSD, dissociation and complex trauma; grief and loss; parenting; attachment struggles in both children and adults; and school-based mental health.
I am also a consultant/supervisor with Impact Counseling Services, a nonprofit agency providing comprehensive school-based mental health services in school districts across central Texas.
HOW I WORK
I am an interactive, relationally-focused therapist. The therapeutic relationship can be sacred and transformative, and I am grateful that my own experiences as a client confirm this perspective. I am direct and engaged, and bring my whole heart and mind and body to sessions. I ask the same of clients.
Working for so long with people has taught me that none of us need to be "changed" or "fixed." I offer clients a secure relationship from which they can grow in the unique ways that the moment requires, building on strengths, celebrating success, and becoming even more than they already are.
Virtual and In-person Options: I admit that I prefer in-person sessions at my office in Georgetown--therapy is sometimes richer and deeper when we meet face-to-face. The pandemic taught me to get comfortable with virtual sessions, though, and I meet with many clients virtually now. I have clients living and working all over Texas and we get the work done and feel a strong connection, even through the screen.
WHAT THERAPY OFFERS
Some people are searching for clarity and insight with regard to new challenges in their lives. These clients want information and support as they make complicated decisions and manage novel situations. Some folks recognize that they need to begin exploring deeper pain, or long-standing/repeating difficulties. The path to better living for them is often found in understanding and tending to: strategies for managing pain that no longer work well; integrating parts of themselves they have denied; unhealed relational wounds; and overwhelming emotional experiences. When we work together, clients develop compassion and insight, and change the way they respond to problematic circumstances and relationships. This is often the key--more agency, more ease and more trust in themselves.
The therapeutic process can be about
- feeling hopeful that life can improve
- re-connecting with our vitality, and our capacity to be successful at work, love and play
- broadening our perspective and sense of options
- embracing and expressing our true selves--mind, body and spirit
- gaining insight, which creates more awareness of self and others
- adding new strategies for coping with pain