About
Out beyond right and wrong there is a space, and I will meet you there.
~Rumi
I specialize in working with couples and individuals dealing with relationship issues.
I specialize in working with arguing couples to create a safe place where they can be honest and vulnerable, using a unique blend of inner process work and communication skills.
In a step-by-step process, I support both parties in removing blocks to vulnerability, so each partner feels heard, respected and able to get important everyday needs met.
In any case, it is your expectations and goals for therapy which are the blueprint for working together to increase intimacy, satisfaction and understanding.
Some clients are very surprised to discover that experiencing their inner freedom all boiled down to learning a few key communication skills that allows them to see and be seen, to know and be known.
For others, it might be about learning how to re-connect within, and to remember who you really are and what is most important to you. And then learn how to communicate that in a non-blaming way.
When couples learn how to identify and remove their own blocks to being vulnerable, a whole new world opens up where anything becomes possible.
When clients have the opportunity to experience themselves as an ever-changing, ever-evolving field of energy that is not held back or defined by expectations, guilt or past mistakes, a space opens up in the relationship and couples move from misunderstandings to powerful and empowering connection.
Exhaustion can wreak havoc on a relationship.
Bob and Cindy had busy lives, two children under the age of five, and a busy travel schedule. By the end of the day, they were each exhausted.
Cindy needed help when she got home after work at 6 pm. She had two hours to make dinner, feed the children, bathe them, and then prepare them for bed, which was an ordeal in and of itself and involved putting away the toys of the day, brushing teeth, dressing for bed, and finally, reading a story together.
Meanwhile, Bob never made it home before 7:30 pm —at the earliest. Before long, Cindy was feeling burdened – and Bob was feeling blamed.
I encourage each partner to be as selfish as possible.
During session work, clients have a chance to learn what it’s like to focus on themselves in healthy ways.
By learning a few straightforward, step-by-step skills and practicing them during session work, the door is opened to experience connection and satisfaction in ways that lead to all sorts of yummy goodies for each of you.
It’s the story of the monkey standing in front of a cola dispensing machine.
The monkey discovers he can put his hand up through the dispensing tube far enough up to wrap his hand around a cold can of cola. What the monkey doesn’t figure out is that no matter how much he pulls on the can, it’s not coming out.
The funny thing is, the monkey will not give up pulling on the cola can, but neither will he let go of the cola can.
This is the nature of a double bind. If he lets go of the can, he loses the chance to get the cola. But if he continues to hold on, he is in a stuck position.
The monkey doesn’t understand there is another way. The monkey stays trapped and hooked, neither getting what he wants, nor being able to release what he’s got.
I help clients see through new eyes.
The solution to a problem cannot be solved at the level it was created.
~Albert Einstein
About Me
Hi! I guess this is the place where I am supposed to talk a little bit about me.
I have been providing psychotherapy since 2007.
To make sure I was mature ‘enough,’ I got married when I was 28. And, once I became a mother over 20 years ago, I slowly began to realize I hadn’t actually been taught the most important skills I needed to have a truly satisfying and intimate marriage.
From this place, I began my journey to try and understand what I needed to know to build the life I knew was waiting for me, but that I couldn’t put into words.
I started going to therapy, taking classes, reading books, meditating – searching for the reasons to my personal dissatisfaction with the quality of my relationships.
As I began to delve into the wonders and mysteries of the human psyche, I began to realize that few of us are taught the skills we need to extract meaning from our lives and our relationships.
After turning over many stones on my path to self-discovery, I stumbled into my formal study of human behavior, earning a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. Since 2007, I have been working with clients to help them achieve their goals.
And if they don’t know what their goals are, then I work to empower clients to discover them.
I began to work with mindfulness in the 90s and earned a university certificate in Consciousness Health and Healing in 2016.
In my earlier days, I earned a BA in Economics from Pepperdine University and worked in the entertainment industry.
I come from a long line of educators, inventors, statesmen, adventurers, and creative types. Our family dates back to the humble beginnings of 1635 having left England for religious freedom and arriving with Reverend Peck in Hingham, Massachusetts.
Looking back three generations, I discovered my family would not only trail the heights to financial success and social prestige, but also hit rock bottom through everything from addictions and compulsions, financial ruin, family secrets, and emotional cut off.
I have learned a lot from my family’s history, and I turn to family history when working with clients as well, helping them to discover their own unique path to creating a meaningful life.
I work with each client differently. But in all cases, I work in meaningful ways that support you being selfish in healthy ways.
Boring stuff!
I have completed a year of training in Gestalt with the Pacific Gestalt Institute and am certified as a CBT-TEAM practitioner. I incorporate psychodynamic and mindfulness features based on a client-centered approach, in a non-judgmental, collaborative process.
Ongoing, I have been participating in mindful, silent retreats since the 1990s, with additional training in somatic studies and mindfulness.
With couples, I use elements from the Gottman Method, Bowen Theory, family systems and Non-Violent Communication techniques.
Fun stuff!
I enjoy weekend road trips, spending time with family and friends, and meeting new people. Traveling both in the USA and abroad let me enjoy my fascination with learning how cultural factors impact relationships. I have traveled throughout Europe and to dozens of cities in South America.
My hobbies include ceramics, horseback riding, scuba diving, and extensive volunteer work. I love reading and learning about history, mythology, archeology, neurology, and psychology.