Individuals often come to me because they are feeling:

• Fatigued, frustrated, overwhelmed, and stressed out.
• Empty, alone, or hopeless more often than not.
• Worried constantly about several different areas of life.
• Difficulty in going through a major change in their life.
• Not happy with the direction their life is going.

• Understand how your thoughts have been influencing your feelings and learn how to change them
• Stop ways of thinking that perpetuates low mood and negative feelings about self
• Feel energized again
• Determine what your strengths are and access them to develop a plan of action for making necessary changes in your life
• Effectively and capably deal with stress
• Learn specific steps you can take and things you can do to feel better and stay better
• Determine an effective and reliable system of support and learn how to be an effective advocate for yourself
• Gain knowledge and self-understanding.

Couples Therapy

Couples often come to me because they are feeling like:

• It's become more and more difficult to talk with each other without it turning into a major argument
• They are living "parallel lives" and are just "going through the motions"
• A great distance has formed between them
• One of them is putting more into the relationship than the other
• Infidelity is happening, or did happen.

• Decrease the criticism and defensiveness that is eroding your relationship
• Calm yourself down when becoming angry at your partner
• Approach your partner in a way that will increase the likelihood that what you have to say will be "heard"
• Repair those moments in the relationship when you've said or done what you wished you could take back
• Understand one another better, which helps lead to problem - solving and compromises that brings about feelings of being able to work together in the relationship
• Rebuild appreciation of one another, which helps you to remember why you fell in love with each other in the first place.

New Parenting Issues

Becoming a parent is one of the most difficult, but rewarding undertakings of our lives. Many parents, after getting really excited about having a child, find that they're not feeling as good about being a parent as they thought they would, and are feeling overwhelmed and perhaps unable to cope well. I help new mothers and fathers make a successful transition to parenthood by:

• Teaching ways to effectively and capably deal with the inevitable ups and downs having a new baby brings
• Dispelling the common myths of parenthood that only serve to make you feel as if you're not measuring up as a mom or dad
• Accessing the part of yourself that so desperately wants to feel joy in being a new parent
• Building a sense of self as being a competent parent
• Helping you feel more in control through learning to understand your child better, what makes them do the things they do that sometimes feel infuriating to you
• Decreasing conflict in your marriage by negotiating and agreeing upon a united parenting style
• Helping you find ways to reconnect with your partner again and maintain your relationship outside of just being parents

Postpartum Depression

Having a baby can be one of the most joyous times of your life. However, this is not always the case for everyone. Depression can happen for about 10-20% of new moms (and dads, too!). Confusion and feelings of despair can hijack this time, leaving you feeling as if you are a bad mother (or father) and knowing that something is horribly wrong. Spouses, family members, and friends are also left feeling perhaps helpless, confused themselves, or maybe resentful that you aren't being the joyful new parent they are expecting you to be.

Symptoms can include feeling sad or anxious much of the time, inability to sleep or sleeping too much, noticeable changes in appetite and weight, feelings of guilt, decreased interest in the baby, and perhaps thoughts or images of the baby being harmed that are difficult to stop.

My specialty is in treating perinatal (before the birth) and postpartum depression and anxiety. Having been there myself once, after the birth of my son, I bring a special understanding of what it feels like to go through this and the knowledge of what it takes to get past it.

My mission is that no family should have to face this alone. Know that you are not alone, you are not to blame, and that help is available!