Depression

There are many difficult challenges and transitions that bring people to seek therapy. If you are struggling with depression, you may notice feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, body aches and pains, low energy, and a lack of pleasure in daily activities and life. Fortunately, there are a number of evidence based approaches I use in my work to bring about the changes you seek.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidenced-based approach found to be effective in reducing depression. We will use CBT to target negative thoughts and actions. During sessions, we will work together to develop and understand unhelpful thought patterns and behavioral habits that contribute to your depression. CBT then focuses on helping you practice the desired changes in both your thoughts and behavior in order to form new and effective habits. This includes more modulated, positive emotional responses to life situations. You will respond to life, and whatever it brings your way, in calmer and more peaceful ways.
Interpersonal therapy for depression puts emphasis on the way in which your symptoms are related to and affected by your relationships, including family and friends. You are given the opportunity to focus on the meaningful relationships in your life, to establish proactive emotional and physical boundaries when needed, and to determine how they may be contributing to your symptoms of depression. This will assist you in improving the quality of the relationships in your life. As these relationships are developed or improved, inter-personal connection is strengthened. This sense of support, emotional connection, or access to community resources proves critical in alleviating symptoms of depression.

Post-Partum Depression

Many women experience high stress and feelings of sadness after the birth of a new baby. Oftentimes, these feelings are confusing and lead to a sense of shame. Poor family and social support and high stress raise the risk of postpartum depression. For this reason, if you have a new baby, it is important to get as much support as possible from family and friends. Any special care you receive will help you get through the challenges of the postpartum period. Therapy plays an important role in preventing and treating depression during pregnancy and after childbirth. Cognitive behavioral therapy will help you take charge of the way you think and feel about your baby, yourself as a mother, and life in general. Our experience together will provide you with the emotional support and help needed with problem solving and goal setting around baby care and the transition into parenthood. To improve treatment success, I encourage both parents to participate as much as possible.

Fertility Treatment

The processes of infertility, pregnancy loss, or struggling with the decisions of third party carriers can often leave people feeling strained and exhausted. The medicalization of infertility has unwittingly led to a disregard for the emotional responses that couples experience, which include distress, loss of control, stigmatization, and profound disappointment. Evidence is emerging of an association between the stress of fertility treatment and patient drop-out and pregnancy rates. Fortunately, interventions focusing on stress management and coping-skills training have beneficial effects as you move through fertility treatment. Perhaps it is time for you to reach out for assistance. For many, infertility is one of the most tremendously challenging events faced in life. But, it does not have to be an obstacle that defines you or your life. Instead, it represents the possibility for profound personal growth and the strengthening of your intimate relationships.

Anxiety

Everyone feels mildly anxious from time to time. Stressful situations, such as meeting tight deadlines or important social obligations, may contribute to your nervousness or fearfulness. Experiencing mild anxiety may in fact help focus on facing and resolving challenging or threatening circumstances. But, if you experience extreme fear and worry that does not subside, you may be suffering from more problematic anxiety. The frequency and intensity of anxiety can be overwhelming and interfere with your daily functioning. Fortunately, the majority of people with anxiety improve considerably by getting effective help. Because anxiety can interfere with your relationships, sleeping patterns, eating habits, work, school, and routine activities, it is one of the most common reasons people seek therapy.
Effective treatment can significantly reduce or eliminate symptoms associated with your anxiety, allowing you to resume regular activities and regain a sense of control. Rather than treating symptoms alone, as medications do, therapy aims to identify and address the source of the anxiety. The self-reflective process of therapy helps people to understand, unravel, and transform anxiety and learn self-soothing techniques to use if anxiety flares up again. We will work collaboratively and may incorporate lifestyle adjustments to help relieve anxiety such as meditation, stress-management and relaxation techniques, self-care, exercise, and eliminating or reducing intake of stimulants like caffeine. We will also work to identify any negative thoughts you may have about yourself and the world that contribute to feelings of anxiety, and you will learn to replace those thought patterns with realistic, positive statements that promote calm and an overall sense of well-being.

Positive Psychology

I believe that a positive approach toward children, adolescents and adults leads to the development of individuals who are open and stronger academically, professionally, emotionally and behaviorally. Discussions focused on individual strengths or on “what went well today,” lead to individuals who are open to learning new things, motivated, and able to self-advocate. In order to become truly successful over a lifetime, each of us must work to improve and strengthen our self-awareness. I work with children, adolescents and adults alike to expand the breadth of self-understanding, coming to know your own strengths, your unique ways of learning, and areas in need of improvement or change. Expanded self-awareness helps each of us to more successfully learn and navigate through life. Through a therapeutic approach that targets the building of self-esteem, discipline and mutual caring, children, adolescents and adults are encouraged to develop this self-awareness and come to realize that they do have control over the success of their professional, interpersonal, emotional and behavioral experiences.

Please contact me for more information.  I offer telephone consultation and Skype sessions for those unable to come into the office.