Contemplative Therapy

Overcoming our very human tendency to grasp at pleasure and avoid what's unpleasant is at the core of our work together in therapy. Fortunately, contemplative therapy also allows us to access tools available in your very own heart/mind to make that work less tedious and more meaningful.

I strive to help individuals find their strengths. Often we overlook the strength we have or we dismiss it. By acknowledging these strengths, we give ourselves more confidence to explore painful experiences. As humans, we are meant to be in a constant state of change. Change can have a large impact or small, depending on what it is we are seeking. It is this fluidity that opens us to the opportunity of continued self exploration leading to our truer self.

Masters of Clinical Mental Health - focus on Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology

I received my Masters in Psychology with a focus in Contemplative Psychotherapy. My program focused on how to encourage a deeper connection between the client and their mind. There is a large emphasis placed on the client's experience and this can be forwarded by this cultivation of one's awareness of how their mind works.

I completed my master's degree in contemplative psychotherapy (now titled Buddhist Psychology) at Naropa University. This included a great deal of study beyond traditional therapy programs to learn Buddhist philosophy and practice meditation and mindfulness techniques. We embodied these practices beyond just intellectual understanding by undertaking two-week-long meditation retreats every semester, during which we would implement what we were learning to better understand it within ourselves.

I graduated from Naropa University in the Contemplative Psychology program. Currently work as a professor at Naropa in the Mindfulness-based Transpersonal Program. My approach is rooted in the contemplative tradition. This approach is acceptance based, present moment centered, and works by recognizing the wholeness of my client. Who you want to become is already within you, let's uncover who you are together.

My practice integrates Eastern philosophy with modern Western psychology. This means that my job here is to help you realize your internal wisdom. You have an incredible ability to self-heal. Let's tap into this while I remind you of your power and full capability of fiercely turning inward.

As a contemplative therapist, I am rooted in the belief that all beings are innately well, wise, and compassionate. This means as your therapist I will see your strengths and capacities in addition to the habits and patterns you may be concerned with. I will meet all of your experiences with compassion and non-judgment and help you find the same for yourself. Together we build a new perspective, where all experience is welcomed and workable so you can feel confident and choiceful in life.

Contemplative psychotherapy is a frame based on integrating the wisdom of the Buddhist tradition with modern psychology. We use our own meditation practice as a foundation for our work with clients. We emphasize the present moment experience and each client's 'brilliant sanity'- their inherent mental and emotional well-being, and strive to help clients recognize this quality in themselves.

Buddhism + psychology is an incredibly powerful combination for personal growth. Buddhism provides the analogy and wisdoms for living a life free from suffering — we are lotuses that transform the murky mud of our world and its challenges into nutrients for growth — psychology provides insight and guidance into the process of human development and offer tools for change. Up for the challenge? I will dive deep with you to tackle the most fundamental questions about life and who we are.

I have studied mindfulness and other contemplative therapies for over twenty years. It can help clients develop coping skills for mood regulation, insight, focusing skills, acceptance of things the way they are, and more.

Scientific research on contemplative / meditative practice clearly demonstrates the decrease in stress, negative emotions, and the increase in both insights and clearer thinking. I've practiced meditation personally for decades and also instruct in it.

Contemplative psychotherapy operates on the belief that all people have natural wisdom within them, and this wisdom can be used to achieve healing and self-awareness. I believe that all people are gifted and creative beings, but sometimes those gifts get buried under years of trauma or other pain. It is my great privilege to help you heal your pain and tap into that inner wisdom for optimal living.

I help clients discover their own sense of self in the context of interrelated personal, familial, social and ecological systems by gaining self-acceptance, authenticity, and a deeper trust in the way their lives flow.

"Contemplative psychotherapy, a branch of therapy integrating Eastern Buddhist philosophy and practice with the clinical traditions of modern Western psychology, is rooted in the belief that all people are granted the internal wisdom necessary to heal from pain." For more information follow the below url: https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/contemplative-psychotherapy

Contemplative therapy holds the view that at our core, all humans have innate wisdom and health. This wisdom can be covered up by traumas (familial, societal, and more), but it can never be destroyed. My role as a therapist then is not to 'fix' or 'change' you, nor is it to act as the 'expert' on your life. Rather, it is to walk beside you as a guide to help you uncover that basic health and wisdom that already lives within you.