Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment that addresses a variety of psychological disorders in children, adolescents, and adults.  Predicated on the theory that transactions between our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors impact the development and maintenance of psychological difficulties, CBT focuses on modifying our thoughts and interpretations, our emotional responses, and our actions to alleviate emotional distress and increase coping skills, happiness, and fulfillment.  CBT is present focused, while also accounting for the impact of learning history (e.g., modeling during childhood) and the myriad environmental factors that contribute to patterns in thinking, emotional reactions, and behavioral responses.  Thus, in addition to providing the individual with coping skills, it addresses environmental factors that may interfere with the client's skills use, and helps parents, spouses, and teachers to support and reinforce changes that the individual is making in their life. 

CBT is goal-focused and time-limited, with the length of treatment varying depending on the nature, intensity, and history of the presenting problem.  I treat a wide range of presenting problems among children, adolescents, and adults, including depression, mood lability, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, phobias, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social skills deficits, pervasive developmental disorders, disruptive behavior disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, sleep disorders, habit disorders, and relationship problems. I provide CBT to individuals, couples, and families.  Sessions are typically 45 minutes and may occur 1-2 times per week depending on the treatment plan.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment for children, adolescents and adults who struggle with managing intense emotions.  These intense feelings often lead to a variety of difficulties, including problems with emotional awareness, confusion about identity and goals, struggles with attention and focus, behavioral impulsivity, emotional instability, persistent negative mood, interpersonal problems, and rigid thinking.  DBT's compassionate approach acknowledges how challenging it is for these individuals to manage heightened emotional sensitivity, intense emotional reactions, and slow recovery from negative mood states.  At the same time, it empowers them with coping strategies that can improve their lives by changing how they respond to their emotions.

In DBT, individuals attend individual therapy (usually 1-2 times per week for 45 minutes), weekly skills groups, and receive skills coaching.  For child and adolescent clients, parents attend a multifamily skills group along with their children.  In addition to individual and group modalities, parenting and family therapy may be incorporated, as indicated, as part of the treatment plan.  I provide individual therapy and skills coaching to child, adolescent and adult DBT clients, who attend skills groups run by colleagues with whom I closely collaborate.  I also provide DBT-informed parenting to the parents of children, adolescents and young adults involved in DBT programs.

Parent Training
Parent training is an empirically supported treatment that focuses on teaching behavioral strategies to increase children’s skillful behaviors,  decrease the frequency of problem behaviors, and strengthen parents’ ability to consistently implement behavioral plans.  Parenting children with emotional and behavioral difficulties can be very stressful for parents.  As such, I also teach parents strategies to tolerate their own distress so that they can implement consistent changes, which will improve their child’s behavior, the environment at home and their own feelings of efficacy and well-being.  I provide parent training through individual parenting sessions, workshops and groups.

Couples Therapy
Couples therapy is designed to help people improve the quality of their communication, their ability to resolve conflicts, and increase their happiness in the relationship. I help couples identify and understand patterns of communication, how these patterns developed, and strategies for change.  By learning such skills as mindfulness, emotion regulation, and validation, couples increase their awareness of their feelings and more effectively communicate their wants and needs.  In this way, the emotional intensity decreases, and partners are better able to solve problems, enjoy their time together, and reach their relationship goals.

Consultation
I provide consultation to clinicians, agencies, and schools who are interested in utilizing effective CBT and DBT in their practice and programs.  I also provide trainings and workshops on a variety of CBT and DBT topics.  If you are an individual, organization or business seeking to develop or strengthen CBT or DBT skills, please visit the contact page so that I may learn more about your needs and interests.