Services

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 I offer services to individuals struggling with a variety of emotional  and situational issues that are causing emotional distress.  I strive to  work with clarity and sensitivity, helping to uncover and process the  sources of pain and discomfort.  While most therapy will involve talking  face-to-face, I may sometimes recommend workbooks, writing assignments,  or other exercises between sessions.  With elementary school aged  children, I use play and games as part of the therapy process.  This  enhances the child's sense of fun and alleviates the discomfort of being  questioned by an adult.
 

The majority of people in my practice suffer from anxiety and/or  depression.  I provide clinical strategies that have proven effective  for both symptom relief and remission.  Often, these emotions stem from  maladaptive responses to thoughts, situations, or trauma.  When these  are altered, relief and a sense of enhanced well-being occur.  When  people are not consumed by strong emotions, they become more available  to focus on life pursuits and relationships with others.
 

Sometimes an individual's personality style gets in the way of  relationships or success at work and school.  This may show up as  chronic interpersonal conflicts, dramatic or negative attention seeking,  or finding that others are avoiding social contact.  Personality styles  are developed early in life as a way of coping but they may not work as  well, later on, for more complex situations.  Therapy can highlight the  problematic areas and help correct or compensate for these. 
 

Children's emotional problems or developmental problems can present  challenges for parents and schools.  Addressing issues early in life can  lead a child to a sense of competence and better problem-solving.   Resolution of emotional issues also enhances family life and  relationships. 
 

When necessary, my work takes place alongside psychiatric medical  treatments or I may provide a referral for such adjunct treatments. 

 Evaluations may be done for many reasons.  The question(s) being asked  and the recipient of the report usually guide the method and tools  used.  Some evaluations require a thorough interview with simple rating  scales while others may include more structured procedures such a  personality or intellectual testing. 
 

Things to be aware of:
 

• Insurance pays only for medically necessary services.  Therefore, evaluations for academic or legal purposes are not likely to be covered.  
• Evaluations done for courts are typically arranged by attorneys  and/or the Court.  If you need a forensic evaluation,  I will need to  speak with your attorney or probation officer to clarify what is needed  and to whom the report will be sent. If you will be acting as your own  attorney (pro se), you will sign a document acknowledging this prior to  an evaluation. 
• If I am seeing you for treatment, I may recommend that you  undergo a formal evaluation.  I probably will refer you to another  provider to obtain this service as it is difficult for a therapist to  then be objective when interpreting test results.  As a therapist, I am  (by definition) biased in your favor.  An evaluator is objective and  opinions are based on data.
• Evaluations may take several sessions to complete, depending  upon their complexity.  Testing often needs to be performed in the  morning.
• Evaluation expenses are different from therapy costs.  There is  typically time allotted for the administration of the tests as well as  interpretation of results and production of a report.  Those evaluations  which require me to travel (e.g., to a school or detention facility)  will mean that I will bill for travel time.