Abuse

Abuse of any kind leaves lasting, and often invisible, wounds. When untreated, these wounds get passed through generations and spread through relationships despite our best attempts to stop the cycle on our own. If you are taking steps to actively heal your own wounds, you are not only healing yourself, but honoring the generations both before and after you, and protecting the relationships surrounding you now.

I worked at a non-profit for domestic and sexual violence survivors for the first several years of my career, wat which time I was trained in crisis counseling and safety planning. I now utilize these skills along with EMDR and other approaches to process various types of abuse.

Abuses comes in many forms, toward the self, other, and the planet. I have extensive experience with narcissistic abuse, substance abuse, the misuse of psychedelics, eating disorders and verbal/emotional abuse.

Whether it was at the hands of a narcissistic parent or abusive partner, I specialize in helping clients overcome trauma resulting from interpersonal relationships. Using a combination of EMDR and talk therapy, we work together to calm that ever-present sense of uneasiness, regain a feeling of safety, and learn to trust in your own judgement. I am living proof that you can overcome abuse and trauma to live a rich and fulfilling life on your own terms.

Most of my training is with trauma and various forms of abuse (emotion, physical, systemic and more). I take a holistic and liberatory lense to help my clients experience sustainable healing.

I work with clients who feel broken, unlovable, and stuck. This is often the result of hurtful messages they received growing up that they continue to believe. Abuse often takes away self-confidence and leaves shame, self-doubt and self-hatred in its place. This self-loathing leads us to continue to hurt ourselves through toxic relationships, unsafe sex, drugs and alcohol, and self-sabotage. I can help you reclaim yourself and help you get in touch with your inherent worthiness.

Training in Abuse and Trauma extends back to graduate school where I took a number of courses and also completed a practicum at a Center for abused children. Over the years, many of my clients worked on histories of trauma and abuse to get to a more healed and happier life.

I have worked extensively with child & adult survivors of emotional/physical/sexual abuse & violence. I am well versed in acute and post traumatic stress disorder and have developed and facilitated group curricula that focus on reducing isolation, guilt/shame and self-blame; building self-esteem, positive support systems and coping skills; and increasing a sense of mastery & personal empowerment. I am sensitive to guiding the process at a pace that feels most comfortable and safe to each person.

I am trained in Child Parent Psychotherapy, an evidence based treatment for children from birth to about age 5, who have experienced abuse, neglect, domestic violence, or other significant stress. CPP also supports families where the parent may be struggling with their own mental health issues or own history of trauma, helping bring awareness to how it shows up in their parenting and relationship with their child. The goal is for the parent and child to develop or maintain a secure attachment.

I've worked in the field of abuse for over 26 years. I have seen first hand how complicated and intertwined abuse and failure in adulthood are. Thanks to neurobiology and psychology technique advancement you can unlock all of that history and put it to rest. Make it a memory instead of a problem you face every day and struggle to overcome. Learning to trust yourself and the world is possible. Don't let the past dictate your future. You can take control of it.

I have a past working in child welfare in both a hospital setting and in the home. I attended multiple trainings through the GABI (Group Attached-Based Intervention) program.Through the program, I learned how to facilitate and promote healthy attachment between child and parent. Clients that participated in this program had difficulties with housing instability, mental illness, domestic violence, and other difficult life circumstances.

I have extensive knowledge and professional experience working with victims and perpetrators of abuse, neglect, and domestic violence. I particularly specialize in working with victims of childhood abuse and neglect.

When the relationship with a caregiver represents trauma, lack of empathy and even cruelty, the implications last long past childhood. As an adult you may have dedicated yourself into work and/or your family in order to soothe that pain inside, yet something is still amiss. You struggle with self-worth and insecurity. In therapy, we can collaboratively work through that place of pain and loneliness towards a place of wholeness and connection. 

People with abusive and controlling behaviors can change when shown compassion and given a judgment-free space to examine their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. We address the deep-seated beliefs, thought patterns, and historical traumas that cause people to become abusive, and learn how to shift towards an anti-abuse mentality.

I am a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, and have worked with trauma for many years. Abuse and trauma can have a huge impact on how you live your life and the safety lens with which you view the world. I work with patients to find a way to not let your trauma overtake you, so you are able to live in the world and interact in your relationships without the weight of your trauma holding you back. You are so much more than your trauma.