I am a trauma therapist and when appropriate work from that lens when meeting with clients. I have found that unresolved trauma is often at the root of anxiety, depression, and addictive behaviors. Trauma can mean severe life threatening events such as combat duty as well as experiencing childhood neglect or abuse. I also have a special interest in working with people who have experienced religious or spiritual abuse - which could include abusive or frightening experiences related to rigid or shaming treatment associated with religious beliefs from family or clergy members. I employ a holistic approach with adults who are in search of tools and skills for improved mood regulation, symptom elimination, and authentic communication with others.
In addition to talk therapy I utilize the methods of Somatic Experiencing and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapies which are widely used to treat the effects of trauma. Somatic Experiencing is a type of natural healing which allows “the completion of defensive responses” so that energy held in the body from stressful events can release. EMDR is a simple protocol accompanied by eye movements or hand tappers to facilitate the processing of issues or past events that feel incomplete.
Brainspotting is an additional method used to locate points in the client’s visual field that help to access unprocessed trauma in the deeper subcortical part of the brain that holds memory and emotion. Trauma therapies such as Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, Brainspotting, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) are all experiential in nature and typically involve the therapist creating the frame and the client being “self-led.”
I have over 12 years experience using the the Pat Carnes Task Centered Approach to treat Sex and Love Addiction and other related intimacy disorders. Sexual compulsivity means engaging in any sexual behavior that is secretive or shaming. Excessive use of pornography, paying for sex, and infidelity are problematic behaviors that can have roots in childhood trauma and are increasingly prevalent with the accessibility of sexual content on the internet. Love Addiction/Love Avoidance often have a root cause of trauma like Sexual Addiction which holds sex as a “ higher power.” In cases of Love Addiction the relationship becomes the obsession. I work with those suffering with the compulsive behaviors and the partners and family members as well.
Pia Mellody’s work with Love Addiction and Co-Dependency has informed my work a great deal and I have been trained in Pia’s PIT (Post Induction Training) model to address and treat the effects of childhood trauma.
Alongside private practice, I worked on the Treatment Team at a Luxury Residential Treatment Center specializing in Complex Psychological Disorders and Dual Diagnosis Care from 2007 to 2020. I have a calm direct approach and over 20 years of practical experience working with a variety of issues in this field.
Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist - CSAT —International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Profesionals www.iitap.com
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner www.traumahealing.org
EMDR Level II www.emdria.org
Pia Mellody Post Induction Training model for childhood trauma www.piamellody.com
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy www.aamft.org
Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles
Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from University of California Los Angeles