Services

Therapy:

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:

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.