Clinical Focus
Individuals
We all contain multitudes, to paraphrase Walt Whitman. That is, we are not a single self, we are a multitude of selves. We all have different experiences of self, and others have different experiences of our “selves.” In fact, the self is a moment to moment process of emergence. There is, however, what you might call a “preferred self,” the self whose story you are most interested in exploring and nurturing. My aim is to support your preferred experience of self, and help you in living out narratives that support the development and emergence of that preferred self.
Couples
Many couples find themselves stuck in the same loops of blame and accusation, diminishing their partner’s experience, debating whose position is more “right,” and unable to negotiate difference while in the midst of legitimate, but conflicting needs. My goal is to help couples move away from ideas “right” and “wrong” and toward greater ability to pay attention to one another’s unique experiences, making the relationship itself the site of growth.
Haptic Trauma Therapy
Haptic Trauma Therapy (HTT) is a body-based, trauma-informed intervention, grounded in neuroscience and mindfulness, which uses clay and a potter’s wheel to reactivate the circuits in the brain responsible for pleasure and reward; create new neural pathways; regulate the nervous system; improve thinking and focus; promote regaining a sense of control of one’s environment and connection to the world; provide grounding; and reignite motivation. Perhaps better described as a “touch therapy,” HTT focuses on the hands as an alternative to talk. Haptic literally means “to touch,” and relates to any experience we have which is distinguished by touch. HTT is especially good for symptoms of post traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety. This is not “art therapy,” per se. I am not an art therapist. I am a trauma therapist working with clay in a very structured, deliberate way. This work is empowering, transformative, and fun. HTT is a therapy of becoming, honoring what the clay has been and what it is becoming, and what you have been and what you are becoming.
All knowledge is local, all truth is partial. No truth can make another truth untrue.
Ursula K. Le Guin