Life is difficult, inherently difficult for every human being, for every one from the very beginning.
—D.W. Winnicott
When changes at home, or in the world, or within ourselves begin to interfere with our ability to meet the inherent difficulties of growing and learning, of working and living and loving, therapy has the potential to be helpful.
Children
In working with children, I follow the child’s inclinations and interests and let these guide the therapeutic process. My aim is to create a setting in which, through imaginative play (art, performance, games), the child can feel free to creatively represent and work through their inner conflicts, wishes, and difficult feelings.
Teens
The same non-coercive, supportive stance applies to my work with teens, with the additional proviso that teens be given the right to make the initial request for therapy, choose to work or not work with the therapist, assess the value of therapy to them, and feel free to stop coming at any time.
Parents
Therapy with children and teens cannot be done without the collaboration, support, and participation of parents and guardians; however, the extent, frequency, and nature of adult involvement will usually be different for a child than for a teen.
Adults
Whatever your reasons for seeking an individual therapy—help with meeting life’s problems, changing unwanted behaviors, facing personal misfortunes—my role, as I see it, is to be a receptive and curious presence, to listen for the ways you wish to be understood, and to support your efforts to feel for yourself and to express yourself, both on and in your own terms, in your own time, and in your own way.
Couples
In my work with couples, there is often a need to look into the thickets where understanding gets caught or disappears, to give attention to where it goes and what appears in its place, and to find more credible, flexible, and satisfying ways of representing our separate and shared experiences, of being present with one another, and of listening and being listened to.