THERAPY SERVICES
MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING
I specialize within the following areas of expertise:
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Complex Trauma (cPTSD, developmental, relational and attachment trauma)
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Perinatal Mental Health (pregnancy, postpartum and new parenthood)
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Shame / Self Worth / Self Esteem
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Therapy for caregiving professionals (therapists, social workers, substance abuse counselors, case managers, birth workers, medical providers, etc.)
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Qualified Supervision for Registered Mental Health Counseling Interns and professional supervision for therapists seeking more support and guidance in their clinical work
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I offer both in-person and telehelath/virtual therapy sessions. Much of the progress experienced in therapy is dependent upon the therapeutic relationship and sometimes it's tough to find the right fit. I offer an initial 15 minute phone consultation at no charge to discuss current challenges and goals for therapy before scheduling the first session. Please visit the FAQs for a few testimonials.
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TREATMENT MODALITIES
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based treatment that has been effective in the healing and reprocessing of emotional pain from distressing life events. EMDR helps to remove the blockage keeping emotional wounds from healing, assisting the mind in reprocessing emotional trauma much like how the body heals from physical trauma. For more information on EMDR, please visit the Resources page.
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"The past affects the present even without our being aware of it."
-Dr. Francine Shapiro, creator of EMDR
Perinatal Mental Health refers to the phase of life from the onset of pregnancy to approximately one year postpartum. Pregnancy, postpartum and parenthood are significant life transitions often marked by unexpected emotional challenges. Perinatal mental health does not just refer to the emotional needs of the mother or gestational parent but rather all individuals involved in the care of a new human. I offer specialized support and treatment for mothers, fathers, gestational parents, nongestational parents, trans parents, same-sex parents and non-binary parents. I welcome the opportunity to serve diverse family constellations including single parents, more than two parents, non-parent primary caregivers, and any other combination of how your family parents your child(ren). For immediate access to perinatal support, please visit the Resources page.
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"When a woman gives birth, two are born:
a baby from the womb of its mother and a woman from the womb of her former existence."
-Marianne Williamson
Neuro Affective Relational Model (NARM) is a developmentally-oriented and neuroscientifically-informed approach to address unresolved Complex Trauma (C-PTSD) while restoring connection to self and others. NARM works with unconscious attachment patterns that stem from relational, developmental and attachment trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). NARM is non-regressive, non-cathartic and non-pathologizing. For more information on NARM, please visit the Resources​ page.
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"The spontaneous movement in all of us is toward connection, health, and aliveness. No matter how withdrawn and isolated we have become, or how serious the trauma we have experienced,
on the deepest level, just as a plant spontaneously moves toward sunlight, there is in each of us an impulse moving toward connection and healing."
-Dr. Laurence Heller, creator of NARM
Professional/Clinical/Qualified Supervision is a supportive relationship between mental health professionals that fosters the enhancement of personal growth and clinical skills. I am a Qualified Supervisor for Registered Mental Health Counseling Interns in the state of Florida. Due to the nature and duration of the qualified supervision relationship, it is my personal preference to provide supervision to registered interns who are local to St. Augustine and surrounding areas in the event of an emergency where I must assess their client. I also provide clinical supervision to mental health professionals who are seeking support and guidance around their clinical skills and professional growth. My fee for supervision services is $100 per hour; this fee can be split between two supervisees who wish to share the hour.
Trauma-Informed Supervision: I practice a trauma-informed supervision model that honors and prioritizes safety, trust, choice/agency, collaboration and empowerment between supervisor and supervisee. It is my goal to cultivate mutual respect, safety, trust, understanding, acceptance, growth and learning in my role as a supervisor with the intention of supporting the personal and professional learning of a supervisee. Together, we build a professional relationship through the framework of: consent, choice, consistency, predictability, curiosity, boundaries, self-inquiry, appropriate self-disclosure, active learning, clearly stated expectations, honoring diversity/equity/belonging, feedback and an emphasis on growth & learning. Because counter-transference is a normal part of the therapeutic process and can be an invaluable asset to the clinical process when explored appropriately, working directly with the supervisee's experience of counter-transference with clients is a primary focus and learning edge in my approach as a supervisor.
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“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
-Anais Nin