Hope is hard. It’s like a coin that has two very different sides. On one side, it keeps us motivated and looking forward to the life we want. On the other side…what if we get our hopes up, and they get dashed? Our lives go through rhythms of ups and downs: summers and winters, joys and griefs, connection and disconnection. My goal for therapy is to bring more balance to those ups and downs. To make sure the anxiety doesn’t get too high or the depression too low, and that the relationship struggles aren’t fights but conversations that draw us together. We can’t stop the rhythms any more that we can stop the seasons, but we can learn how to manage them.

Having a good relationship isn’t about having only good days, it’s about handling the ups and downs so they don’t get out of hand. In the same way, managing anxiety and depression isn’t about having only good days! Without anxiety, nothing would stop us from crossing the street without checking for cars. Without sadness, we couldn’t grieve or have compassion for others. So what do we do with anxiety and depression? We learn to keep the ups and downs in balance.

I believe in the power of stories. Your story matters: where you’ve been, what you experience now, and what you want for your future. I also believe in the power of understanding how your mind affects your actions and feelings, which is why I am a bit of a brain nerd. Because of this, I incorporate education, mindfulness and spirituality, and little homework into the therapy process. I believe spirituality is an important part of being human and I encourage my clients to find what grounds you and brings you into connection with to others.

My hope is that you will leave each session feeling a little more hopeful—about yourself, your relationship, your situation. I’ll do my best to provide you with helpful tools you can start using right away to begin to see small changes and balance out the rhythms in your life. -You can do hard things. I’d love to walk beside you as you do.