Areas of
Focus
Working with adults
on a wide range of
issues, including:
Trauma
Trauma is the emotional response to distressing events that lasts long after the event. Most people associate trauma with catastrophic events like war or a natural disaster. But trauma also describes many very personal, hurtful, but equally disturbing, events that can significantly impact one's self-esteem, trust of others, or sense of responsibility, among many other things. Psychotherapy like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing can help you change problematic beliefs that develop as a result of distressing events and help you develop a permanent, healthy perspective about yourself as well as the event.
Anxiety
It is natural to feel nervous sometimes because it is a normal reaction to stress. However, when anxiety is not temporary but persists for long periods of time, it can severely impact your ability to function at work, social situations or school, especially if you cope by avoiding situations that make you anxious. Together we can uncover the underlying causes of your worries and fears and develop healthier coping mechanisms and problem-solving skills.
Depression
Depression causes feelings of sadness, a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed, and can decrease your ability to function at work and at home. Depression may have symptoms that range from relatively minor to severe and affects people both emotionally and physically. Psychotherapy can be effective because it can help you identify and work through the factors that may be triggering the depression, learn new skills to cope, and regain a sense of control and pleasure in life.
Self-esteem
Self-esteem is how we value and perceive ourselves. Your self-esteem can affect your ability to assert yourself, make decisions, recognize your strengths, move past mistakes without blaming yourself, or do new or difficult things with confidence. Increasing your self-esteem can sometimes feel really difficult to change, but I can help to make it possible.
Stress
Stress comes in many different forms and impacts the physical, emotional and mental health of individuals who experience stress in both its chronic and short-term forms. Working together, we can identify the causes of stress in your life and develop effective strategies for stress management that focus on promoting a health-centered approach.
Loss
Loss is an inevitable part of life, and grieving is how we move through the experience of significant loss. As time passes, most come to terms with their loss and learn to cope in their own ways. Others, however, struggle with grief for prolonged periods without improvement. If this is where you are at, together we can develop methods and strategies for coping with your loss, as well as provide you with an avenue to discuss your feelings.
Relationship issues
Conflict is part of all relationships, and even healthy relationships will have some conflict. In fact, a lack of conflict may actually be a sign of trouble. Together we can uncover the reasons why you avoid disagreements, become defensive or behave aggressively, and then find healthy ways to deal with conflict.
Anger Management
Anger can be a good thing. It can give you a way to express negative feelings or motivate you to find solutions to problems. But excessive anger can make it difficult to think straight and harm your relationships as well as your physical and mental health. Together we can work to understand your triggers for anger, develop and practice coping skills, and think, feel, and behave differently in response to anger, so you are calmer and more in control.
Perfectionism/procrastination
Perfectionism and procrastination are often closely related and both are fraught with difficulty. There is a high correlation between perfectionism/procrastination and depression, burnout, obsessive-compulsive behaviour, stress, suicide risk and/or eating disorders. Together we can discover the roots of your perfectionism or procrastination and help you shift to a healthier perspective.