My Services
01.
In individual therapy you can expect to be seen one-on-one in a safe confidential environment. If necessary there may be opportunity to meet with family or significant others for the purpose of deeper understanding of you the individual.
02.
The purpose of couples counseling is to focus on the entity that is your relationship. You can expect to be seen together the majority of the time, in some special circumstances we may make a collective decision to do some individual work within the framework of couples counseling. In addition to my graduate degree I have been trained in the Gottman Method and Prepare and Enrich for couples work.
03.
"EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a form of therapy that helps people heal from trauma or other distressing life experiences. EMDR therapy has been extensively researched and has demonstrated effectiveness for trauma." (emdria.org)
EMDR Experience:
"After the therapist and client agree that EMDR therapy is a good fit, and begin to work together, the client will be asked to focus on a specific event. Attention will be given to a negative image, belief, and body feeling related to this event, and then to a positive belief that would indicate the issue was resolved. While the client focuses on the upsetting event, the therapist will begin sets of side-to-side eye movements, sounds, or taps. The client will be guided to notice what comes to mind after each set. They may experience shifts in insight or changes in images, feelings, or beliefs regarding the event. The client has full control to stop the therapist at any point, if needed. The sets of eye movements, sounds, or taps are repeated until the event becomes less disturbing. A typical EMDR therapy session lasts from 60-90 minutes. EMDR therapy may be used within a standard talking therapy, as an adjunctive therapy with a separate therapist, or as a treatment all by itself." (emdria.org)
04.
Addiction can take many forms not limited to substances, food, pornography. I am a CADC (Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor) in the state of Iowa and have the most experience working in addiction with drugs and alcohol. I have also worked extensively with people who are affected by a loved one's addiction or substance abuse and enjoy that work very much. I believe most addition and substance issues are caused by the avoidance of underlying pain, physical or emotional. I have done extensive co-occurring work with addiction/substance abuse and mental health issues in the out-patient setting. I feel passionately that people must be treated for both simultaneously in order to achieve long-term success. I also have experience in working with other types of addiction issues as well such as food and porn.
05.
In family counseling you can expect to be assessed for a tailored treatment plan for problematic family dynamics. I prefer to see the whole family together yet in certain instances it may be important to see members individually or in other configurations to achieve desired result within the context of family therapy.
06.
Trauma treatment is one of my specialties. I have years of experience working with all kinds of trauma childhood abuse, sexual abuse, developmental trauma, PTSD, and dissociative disorders. I especially appreciate working with first responders, police officers and military personnel to work proactively with symptoms so that the symptoms don't turn into PTSD or other disorders. I have been to many trainings for trauma, completed 3 levels of Janina Fisher's "Complex Trauma Training". Pat Ogden, Peter Levine, Bessel Vander Kolk are some of the other trauma specialists I have studied.