How I Practice

“Never underestimate the power of unconditional positive regard.”
– Jennifer Walter, referring to the philosophy of Carl Rogers, humanistic psychology founder

My style is gentle and accepting and I work at the pace that is right for you. Whether you’re exploring ways to enrich your life path experience, or you’ve hit some bumps in your road that you could use some collaborative support with, we might be a good match!

My orientation is integrative, with an emphasis on Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS Level 1, working toward certification), somatic (body-centered) therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), mindfulness therapy, and nature-based therapy. I also incorporate EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) tapping, breathwork, and qi gong into my practice.

There is a connection between the mind, emotions, and body, so it is beneficial to involve the body in facilitating the healing process. For example, some people prefer yoga, running, hiking, pilates, basketball, dance, snowboarding, weight training, pickleball, etc. Whatever your body movement preference is, we can work it into your therapy. The sky is the limit!

A Typical Session

In your first “intake” session I will begin by asking you “What is your biggest hope for your outcome in therapy?” Then I will collect some very basic demographic information to get an idea of your overall life picture and support system, what you enjoy doing for fun, if you like where you live, your health, etc. It’s important to note that I will not inquire about traumas or ACEs (Adverse Childhood Events) directly; this can actually retraumatize your system and from the IFS perspective disrespects your protective system. (Trauma work within the IFS model is a very methodical process.) I will invite you to ask any questions and discuss what brings you to therapy now.

In the following sessions I’ll begin by following up with any topics or “parts” we explored the previous session. I might also begin by asking you what you feel like you want/need in your therapy session today: Do you have specific topics you would like to cover? I’ll invite you to tell your story/describe what’s going on. I’ll invite you to “drop in” by settling in with either eyes closed or open, noticing your breath, becoming aware of your body, and noticing what comes up in your body (e.g., any sensations of tension, pain, tightness, etc), or certain thoughts that spring up, or emotions you’re feeling. These can serve as “trailheads” to point you in the direction you need to go in your healing. We’ll end the session by asking how you’re feeling in your body and also I might ask if we covered what you wanted to in your session.

IFS Therapy

IFS therapy, founded by Richard Schwartz, is an evidence-based psycho-spiritual relational model of therapy exploding in popularity worldwide due to its effectiveness and respect for the client’s system. The basic premise is that “All parts are welcome,” meaning that whatever you are feeling–whether it is anger, guilt, anxiety, shame, joy, sadness or grief (to name a few)– is a valuable element of yourself with innate wisdom.

IFS believes that all humans have different aspects or “Parts” to themselves and that we have a core “Self” that could be seen as the soul essence, is indestructible, and is with an individual from birth and forms the foundation of their personality.

When the Self and Parts are in harmonious relationship, a person is functioning at their best and embodies qualities such as compassion, creativity, and calmness. All of these Parts and Self function as a sort of internal family system. This is a complex inner world, and is considered normal and natural and healthy.

The challenge arises when life circumstances present situations that are stressful or traumatic, causing some of our internal parts to forego their healthy natural protective roles and become burdened with the stress of managing the vulnerable parts which are holding the attachment/relational injuries and trauma (either big traumas or small traumas). Through their positive intentions of protecting the internal system, the protector parts can take on more extreme-and often destructive-roles. An example would be an individual who was involved in an unhealthy relationship in the past and develops a coping mechanism such as avoidance of intimacy or repeating unhealthy relationship patterns.

The goal in IFS therapy is to heal through nurturing Self leadership which allows different parts to come forward and express themselves honestly with the client’s Self and release their burdens, returning to their more natural healthy and free state. The client’s self leadership is the primary healer, with the therapist acting as guide and witness. This is a highly empowering process for the client.

(A good illustration of basic IFS principles are the PIXAR movies “Inside Out” and “Inside Out 2”, which I highly recommend watching.)