My approach
Attachment science tells us that we take cues from our earliest relationships on how to perceive ourselves and others. These cues often develop into deeply-held beliefs about our place in the world.
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Our beliefs about ourselves and the world around us directly influence the way we function in relationships. Often, these styles of relating we learned in early childhood do not generalize seamlessly to present-day relational contexts.
I view the therapeutic relationship as a space where we can grow awareness of these patterns in order to address unmet needs, frustration, or pain in the present moment.
This is a space to grieve, process, hurt, and rejoice in the context of an authentic and compassionate alliance.
Core principles
Attachment science
Attachment science grew out of the work of ethology, the study of animal behavior and relationships. In many species, a young animal will go to great lengths to maintain proximity to their caregiver. Much like our animal neighbors, we humans learn to maintain connection under even the most stressful of circumstances. We engage in relationships along those lines of safety, attunement, and exploration.
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Our early environment teaches us how to interact with ourselves and others during times of security, as well as moments of vulnerability or overwhelm. Our work together will help you to understand the dynamics under which your sense of self developed, and the relational skills you learned that may or may not be adaptive to your present relationships. Together, we will work to loosen these entrenched patterns to help you rediscover your sense of agency.
British object relations/Interpersonal psychodynamic therapy
I work from an interpersonal psychodynamic lens, informed by British Object Relations. These schools of thought view relationship as the center of the human mind's development.
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I believe the therapeutic relationship gives us a unique space to challenge existing patterns and experiment with new ways of showing up. I will show up authentically in our sessions and strive to create a comfortable environment wherein we can do this work together.
Sensorimotor psychotherapy
We sometimes forget that the body has a language all its own. Through life experiences, and especially through trauma, many of us have become disconnected from this language. Sensorimotor psychotherapy provides a framework for learning the body's ways of communicating, in all its nuance.
The implicit somatic habits that developed in times of trauma or attachment insecurity can limit our ability to respond flexibly to present-day situations. In our work together, I will come alongside you with a posture of curiosity and compassion, so we can grow awareness of these habits and practice together new ways of meaning making.
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