Relationship Therapy

I am a PACT Level 2 trained clinician. PACT stands for The Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy. This model works well with monogamous couples as well as folks who live in non-traditional relationship structures. It is a dynamic and highly effective way of working that fuses developmental neuroscience, attachment theory and arousal regulation in the service of helping folks create secure relationships.  I will have you facing your important other during most of the session and you will show me and each other who you are. This approach has changed the way I work and, my wife will attest, has drastically improved my personal and professional understanding of how relationships thrive.     

https://www.thepactinstitute.com/

Sensuality, Sexuality and Gender

Come talk about sex, pleasure, safety, your relationship to and with to your own body, sexual orientation and gender identity, kink, issues related to transitioning and coming out-- all with curiosity, dignity and delight.  Having sex that’s worth having is important.  And orgasm isn’t the only measure of great sex.  Explore sexuality through major life changes and include sexual health in your recovery from trauma.  Changes in desire, physiological sexual functioning, opening up relationships and sexual/genital pain are also good reasons to come talk.  I work with many clients who identify as sexual minorities as well as transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming. The monthly LGBTQIA support group I co-facilitate is a powerful resource in the community.  I am a certified sex therapist through the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists. I am happy to work with individuals, couples and relationships systems that are more complex.

Trauma and EMDR

I am trained in EMDR (eye movement desensitization reprocessing), developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980’s. When patients come into therapy with clear histories of trauma -- experiences like sexual and/or physical abuse, violent accidents, devastating medical situations, or sudden and profound losses – we start by talking about these experiences. For some, this is all that is required to heal. Patients release pent up emotions, clarify distorted beliefs, and find ways to integrate these experiences into their lives in meaningful ways. For other patients, talking about traumatic experience is itself too traumatic, and/or no amount of discussion would ever be enough to achieve relief or release. Others have no clearly defined traumatic event, but hold negative beliefs about themselves or the world that just won't budge with regular talk therapy approaches. 

EMDR is a highly effective means of helping patients metabolize traumatic experience and negative beliefs. EMDR harnesses the mind-body connection, so patients can release distorted perceptions and deeply held sensations in the body that intrude upon their ability to feel safe, competent, and connected in day-to-day life.

EMDR is a well-research protocol that has been endorsed and recommended by many in the field, including the American Psychiatric Association and the Departments of Defense and Veteran’s Affairs. For more detailed information about EMDR go to www.emdr.com.

I am Level 2 trained in EMDR with additional certification in attachment interventions and I am EMDRIA certified.  

Mindfulness Meditation and Stress

I was a founding member of the Saratoga Stress Reduction Program. From 2005 until 2018, my colleagues, Dr. Selma Nemer, Pierre Zimmerman and I taught mindfulness-based stress reduction classes, and we have graduated over 2,000 students! Selma and Pierre and still going strong! The program is based on John Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program at the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine, which has been around since the 1970’s. There are good reasons why people have practiced meditation for thousands of years; it is an incredibly heart-opening and practical means of helping us manage what feels unmanageable in this stressful and fast-paced world. Program fees and current schedule can be found here.

The Saratoga Stress Reduction Program is separate and distinct from my psychotherapy practice, but I do incorporate many mindfulness practices and principles into my individual work with people struggling with anxiety, depression and overwhelming life circumstances.

Food and Body Image

Some people come to see me with food and body image concerns. I will support you in making the necessary attitudinal and behavioral changes to the way you eat and care for your body, and I will challenge you to think more critically about what your relationship with food says about your relationship with yourself.

Choices and Dilemmas

Finally, many people come to see me for therapy because they are struggling with some kind of choice. Whether the choice is about a job change, relationship decision, or medical treatment, the bottom line is that not knowing what to do can be wildly uncomfortable. I obviously can’t identify the “right” course of action for anyone, but I am skilled at helping clients develop the psychological and emotional musculature to tolerate being in a state of “not knowing” long enough for their innate wisdom to arise.