My Approach, Interventions & Modalities

Every client enters therapy with a different story, different experiences, different strengths, and different needs. Because of this, I don't believe in approaching every client with the same intervention or expecting one modality to work for everyone.

My interventions are individualized based on your needs, goals, presenting concerns, readiness, and what we identify together as being most helpful to your healing and growth.

My approach is integrative, meaning I draw from a variety of therapeutic modalities and interventions rather than relying on one approach alone. Some approaches work primarily through thoughts and behaviors, while others help us work with emotions, the body, the nervous system, relationships, or the deeper experiences that may continue to affect you today.

Below are some of the approaches I may incorporate into our work together.

Interventions & Modalities

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

(Understanding the connection between thoughts, feelings & behaviors)

CBT is a top-down approach that explores the relationship between what we think, how we feel, and how we respond.

Together, we may examine patterns of thinking, cognitive distortions, beliefs about yourself or others, and behaviors that may be contributing to anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, self-doubt, or other challenges.

CBT can help you:

Identify unhelpful thought patterns
Challenge distorted or limiting beliefs
Develop more balanced ways of thinking
Increase awareness of how thoughts influence emotions and behaviors
Build healthier coping strategies
Develop greater confidence in responding to difficult situations

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

(Building skills for intense emotions & difficult moments)

DBT is particularly helpful for learning how to navigate intense emotions, distress, impulsive reactions, interpersonal challenges, and moments when emotions feel bigger than your ability to manage them.

DBT skills can help you learn how to pause before reacting, tolerate distress, regulate emotions, communicate more effectively, and navigate difficult situations without making them worse.

We may incorporate skills related to:

Distress tolerance
Emotional regulation
Mindfulness
Interpersonal effectiveness
Managing anger and intense emotions
Crisis coping
Grounding and staying present

The goal isn't to eliminate difficult emotions. It is to help you develop the ability to experience emotions without allowing them to control your choices.

Attachment Theory

(Understanding how relationships shape us)

Attachment theory provides a framework for understanding how our early relationships and experiences can influence the ways we connect, communicate, trust, seek reassurance, establish boundaries, and respond to closeness or conflict in relationships.

Exploring attachment patterns can help you better understand:

Why you respond the way you do in relationships
Why certain relationship dynamics feel especially triggering
Patterns of pursuing, withdrawing, avoiding, or becoming anxious
Fear of abandonment or rejection
Difficulties with trust and vulnerability
Relationship expectations and boundaries
How past experiences may influence present relationships

Understanding your patterns is not about blaming your past. It's about gaining awareness so you can begin making different choices in the present.

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)/EMDR

(Processing painful experiences without having to relive them)

ART is a trauma-focused approach that can be used to help process distressing memories, experiences, and emotions that continue to affect your present life.

The goal is not to erase what happened or pretend that it didn't happen. Instead, ART can help reduce the emotional intensity and distress connected to difficult experiences while helping you develop a healthier relationship with what you've experienced.

ART may be incorporated when working with:

Trauma
Anxiety
Grief and loss
Substance Abuse & Addictions
Distressing memories
Phobias and fears
Relationship-related experiences
Life experiences that continue to feel emotionally “stuck”

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) are both trauma-focused approaches that use elements of bilateral stimulation to help clients process distressing experiences. I chose to specialize in ART because of its flexibility and ability to be used with both trauma and non-trauma concerns.

Somatic & Nervous System Regulation

(Helping you reconnect with what your body is communicating)

Healing isn't always about talking through everything.

Sometimes the body communicates what words cannot.

Somatic and nervous-system-focused interventions can help increase awareness of how stress, trauma, anxiety, and intense emotions show up physically and provide tools for helping your body move toward greater regulation.

Depending on your needs, we may incorporate:

Deep breathing techniques
Grounding exercises
Stretching and movement
Body awareness
Five-senses grounding
Relaxation techniques
Mindful awareness of physical sensations
Other regulation strategies

The goal is to help you develop a greater understanding of your body's responses and build skills for navigating moments of heightened stress or emotional activation.

Creative & Expressive Interventions

(Sometimes healing needs more than words)

Not every experience is easy to put into words.

Creative interventions can provide another way to explore emotions, experiences, identity, thoughts, and personal meaning.

Depending on the client and their preferences, this may include:

Music
Journaling
Drawing
Creative expression
Reflective writing
Other personalized expressive activities

These approaches can be especially helpful when traditional conversation doesn't fully capture what you're experiencing.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

(Focusing on where you want to go)

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy helps shift attention from solely examining problems toward identifying solutions, strengths, possibilities, and the future you want to create.

Rather than only asking:

“Why am I struggling?”

We may also explore:

“What would I like to be different?”

“What is already working?”

“What strengths have helped me get this far?”

“What would one small step forward look like?”

SFBT can be particularly helpful for clients who want to focus on goals, progress, strengths, and practical steps toward change.

Christian/Faith Based Integration

(Faith incorporated into therapy by request)

My Christian faith is foundational to who I am and the values that guide my work. However, faith-based counseling is incorporated into therapy only when requested by the client.

For clients who desire Christian counseling, faith may be intentionally integrated into the therapeutic process in a way that aligns with their beliefs, values, and goals.

This may include exploring:

Faith and identity
Prayer and spiritual practices
Scripture
Forgiveness
Hope
Purpose
Spiritual growth
Navigating difficult seasons through a Christian lens

If you would like to learn more about what Faith-Based Counseling with me looks like, please visit my My Specialties page.

Population Age Range

Services are provided to adolescents (ages 14+), Young adults, and Adults