Client Focus

  • I see Teens (12+), Adults, Couples and Families as part of my practice

  • My primary specialties are:

    • LGBTQ Support (Individual Therapy for LGBTQ Adults and Teens, Couple's Therapy for LGBTQ Couple's, and Gender Affirming Care including Provider Confirmation of Care Letters for Transgender Clients)

    • Sex & Couple's Therapy (Sex Positive, Kink Positive, Currently pursuing certification in sex therapy)

    • Major Life Transitions (Primary/Middle to High School, High School to College, First Serious Relationship, Engagement, Marriage, Divorce, Loss of a Parent, Pregnancy, First Child, Integrating Children through Marriage/Adoption, Integrating Children through Childbirth, Empty Nest, Retirement)

    • Alcohol, Drug, and other Process Addiction Rehabilitation (Internet/Phone Addiction, Pornography Addiction, Attraction to the Illegal or Unethical)

    • Sexual Offender Rehabilitation (Limited to non-violent clients)

"Change is inevitable, growth is optional" by Jamie Morrow

Treatment Modality

My primary modality of treatment with my client is the application of Positive Psychological Principles to enhance and emphasize the best parts of the patient's life. In order to address any trauma or other issues, I also utilize Brain spotting therapy and motivational interviewing.

Positive Psychology is a branch of psychology that is focused on character strengths and behaviors that allow individuals to build a life of meaning and purpose (Psychology Today Staff, 2024). Motivational interviewing is a counseling method that helps people resolve uncertain feelings and insecurities to find internal motivation to change their behavior (Psychology Today, 2024).

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The Essentials of Positive Psychology

  • Emphasis is on deep meaning and satisfaction as opposed to fleeting happiness. 

  • Developed by Martin Seligman, positive psychology espouses the main tenants of positive living which includes positive emotions, "flow states", and sense of purpose. 

  • In the premier positive psychological textbook written in 2004, "Characters Strengths and Virtues," positive psychologists proposed cataloging character strengths and virtues under the six categories of Wisdom, Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance, and Transcendence. *

Key Concepts of Positive Psychology

  1. Purpose and meaning- many measures of meaning have been found to relate to positive life outcomes and studies have corroborated the correlation between understanding of one's purpose and their overall mental health. 

  2. Flow- coined by M. Csikszentmihalyi it describes a highly beneficial state of immersion into an activity or event to the exclusion of all other stimuli. *

  3. PERMAH Model - Developed by Seligman, PERMA stands for Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishments, and Health. This is the six building blocks of resilience and wellbeing identified (Chong, 2023)

  4. Strengths and Virtues - the identified parts of each person individually which are used to live an engaging and meaningful life. 

  5. Grit and Gratitude - Grit is defined as the passion and perseverance towards one's long-term goals and gratitude is defined the expression of appreciation which in turn releases positive neurochemicals in our brain.**

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Benefits and Critique of Positive Psychology

  • Benefits include overall lifting and higher quality of relationship with positive experiences and emotions. The field also continues to research and explore with how developing strengths, gratitude, and other flow activities add to a more quality life.

  • Critiques center mainly around the concern that the emphasis on positivity ignores "essential negative" experiences and emotions. Additional concerns shared is that the concept of character strength cannot account for redescribing the human experience. 

Essential of Motivational Interviewing

  • Evolved from Carl Roger’s client-centered approach to counseling and therapy to help clients commit to change.

  • Motivational Interviewing (MI) can be used to help with a variety of client issues such as addressing addiction and management of difficult physical or mental situations.

  • MI is important to help clients prepare for change and those who are unsure of their willingness or readiness for change.

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Key Concepts of Motivational Interviewing***

  1. Express Empathy

    Empathy is a key component of motivational interviewing. The therapist listens carefully to the patient and conveys that they understand the patient’s feelings, beliefs, and experiences.

  2. Support Self-efficacy

    Motivational interviewing posits that clients possess the strength and ability to grow and change—even if past attempts at change have failed. The therapist supports the patient’s belief in themselves that they can change. The therapist may do this by calling attention to the patients skills, strengths, or past successes.

  3. Roll with Resistance

    If the patient is struggling to change, they may resist potential solutions or the therapist’s guidance. In motivational interviewing, the therapist avoids becoming defensive or argumentative if they encounter resistance. Instead, they help the patient identify the problem and solution themself. The therapist doesn’t impose their viewpoint on the patient but helps the patient consider multiple viewpoints.

  4. Develop Discrepancy

    The therapist helps the patient identify discrepancies between their present circumstances and their future goals. What thoughts and behaviors do they need to change to achieve those goals? The therapist guides the patient in spotting this discrepancy and solutions to reduce it.

Benefits and Critiques of Motivational Interviewing

  • Motivational Interviewing helps individuals explore and resolve ambivalence about change rather than having change imposed upon them. By emphasizing collaboration, autonomy, and empathy, MI often increases treatment engagement and reduces resistance (Miller & Rollnick, 2013).****

  • MI can be difficult to implement effectively. Research has shown that outcomes decline when core MI principles (e.g., reflective listening, evocation, and support for autonomy) are not consistently applied. Training alone does not guarantee competence (Schwalbe et. al, 2014).*****

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*PsychologyToday Staff. (2024). Positive psychology. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/positive-psychology
**Chong, J. (2023, June 14). Positive psychology: 5 key concepts (and how journaling can help with intentional practice). The Skill Collective. https://theskillcollective.com/blog/positive-psychology-concepts
***Perina, K. (Ed.). (2024). Motivational interviewing. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/motivational-interviewing
****Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
*****Schwalbe, C. S., Oh, H. Y., & Zweben, A. (2014). Sustaining motivational interviewing: A meta-analysis of training studies. Addiction, 109(8), 1287-1294. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.12558