Accepting New Clients. Intake appointments in 1-2 weeks. Until I open an in person office, I provide telehealth appointments only.
Life is a journey filled with challenges and opportunities for growth. At times, we all need support to navigate these moments and find our path to well-being and fulfillment. Welcome to my practice, where you will find a compassionate, safe, and supportive environment dedicated to helping you achieve your goals.
From your first contact with my practice, you will experience a welcoming and accepting atmosphere. I have the deepest faith in the power of a trusting and collaborative therapeutic relationship, where your voice is heard and your experiences are validated. Together, we will develop strategies and pathways that bring you to the top of "wellness mountain" - (one of my many metaphors).
A DA is a comprehensive evaluation where we gain an understanding of your concerns, processes and patterns and determine if you meet the criteria for a mental health condition.
What a DA typically involves:
Clinical Interview: The core of the assessment is a conversation where I ask about current difficulties, history, relationships, and any relevant medical or family history.
Assessment Tools: Sometimes, standardized questionnaires or tests may be used to gather additional information about symptoms, personality, or cognitive functioning.
Diagnosis (if applicable): If the assessment reveals that the person's symptoms align with a recognized mental health condition, a diagnosis is made.
Treatment Recommendations: The clinician provides recommendations for appropriate treatment, which might include therapy, medication, or other support services.
Think of it like getting a thorough check-up for your mental health, helping to identify any concerns and guide the most effective path towards well-being.
Individual therapy is a collaborative process where we meet one-on-one to explore and address your personal challenges and goals. I primarily conduct Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Compassionate Inquiry. It's a safe and confidential space to:
Experience an open and trusting relationship: Discuss your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors without judgment.
Gain insight: Understand the root causes of your patterns and processes.
Develop skills: Learn new ways to manage difficult emotions and situations.
Improve relationships: Strengthen communication and interpersonal skills.
Work through trauma: Process past experiences and heal from emotional wounds.
Increase self-awareness: Gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your patterns.
Make positive changes: Create a more fulfilling and meaningful life.
It's like having a personal guide to help you navigate the complexities of your inner world and create lasting positive change.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is structured into four stages, each with specific goals to help individuals progress toward their life worth living. These stages are defined by the severity of a client's behaviors and emotional state. While they are often presented sequentially, clients may enter at different points or revisit stages as needed.
At Create Meaning, I provide the Behavioral Tech Model that adheres to the original treatment protocols and methods developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan. It emphasizes fidelity to the core principles and practices of DBT to ensure clients receive the most effective and evidence-based treatment. I have 4 years experience providing this treatment. My goal is to accept at least one new client every 1-2 months.
Core Components:
Comprehensive: Includes all four components of DBT: Weekly individual therapy, weekly skills group (Telehealth: Tuesdays 5:00pm - 7:30pm), 24 hr phone coaching access to therapist, and therapist participation in consultation team of other DBT therapists.
Systematic: Follows a systematic method for delivering high quality therapy interventions and skills training.
Emphasis on dialectics: Balances acceptance and change strategies. Incorporates 4 types of skills: Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, Interpersonal Effectiveness and Distress Tolerance.
Therapist training and consultation: Therapists receive specialized training and participate in ongoing consultation to maintain adherence and competency.
Please click link to video below that describes DBT (much better than I can on this website)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is typically structured into four stages, each with specific goals to help individuals progress toward a life worth living. These stages are defined by the severity of a client's behaviors and emotional state. While they are often presented sequentially, clients may enter at different points or revisit stages as needed.
Stage 2: Addressing Quiet Desperation (Moving from Quiet Desperation to Full Emotional Experiencing)
Focus: Once behavioral control is established, clients may still suffer in silence, often due to past trauma or chronic emotional inhibition. Their outward behavior might be improving, but their internal emotional world remains difficult.
Goal: To help clients move from a state of "quiet desperation" to experiencing the full range of emotions without becoming overwhelmed or losing control. This stage often involves addressing post-traumatic stress and other underlying issues.
Structure: Therapy often involves trauma-focused interventions if relevant, alongside continued application of DBT skills (mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness) to navigate the intense emotions that may arise during this processing.
Stage 3: Learning to Live (Moving from Ordinary Problems in Living to a Life of Ordinary Happiness and Unhappiness)
Focus: With behavioral control and emotional experiencing in place, this stage focuses on building a meaningful life. Clients learn to cope with the everyday ups and downs that life presents.
Goal: To help clients define life goals, build self-respect, develop a stronger sense of self-identity, and find peace and happiness in their daily lives. The aim is to achieve a life of "ordinary happiness and unhappiness," where clients can manage life's challenges effectively.
Structure: Treatment involves applying DBT skills to real-life challenges, working on self-identity, developing healthy relationships, and pursuing personal aspirations. It's about maintaining gains and proactively building a meaningful existence.
Stage 4: Finding Deeper Meaning (Moving from a Sense of Incompleteness to a Connection with a Greater Whole)
Focus: This final stage is for clients who, even after achieving a life of ordinary happiness, seek a deeper sense of meaning, purpose, or spiritual fulfillment.
Goal: To help clients achieve a sense of connectedness, joy, and freedom, moving beyond merely coping to truly experiencing a life of fulfillment and purpose. This stage addresses a sense of incompleteness and helps individuals find a greater connection to themselves and the world around them.
Structure: This stage is highly individualized and might involve further exploration of values, spirituality, or community engagement, often in a less intensive therapeutic format or as a maintenance phase.
At Create Meaning, I provide the above DBT program and can also include a specific focus on reducing or quitting substance use. This treatment is ideal for individuals who find themselves using alcohol or drugs to cope with difficult situations, emotional pain, and intense physical sensations.
Key features:
Comprehensive: Includes all four components of DBT during the 12 month commitment: Weekly individual therapy, weekly skills group (Telehealth: Tuesdays 5:00pm - 7:30pm), 24 hr phone coaching, and therapist participation in consultation team of other DBT therapists.
Additional support for substance use: DBT with a focus towards reducing substance use can be very effective. Due to my license in alcohol and drug counseling this helps clients better understand and address why they have the thoughts, urges, cravings and misuse of substances.
Systematic: Follows a systematic method for addressing substance use and the underlying cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes.
Emphasis on dialectics: Balances acceptance and change strategies. Incorporates 4 types of skills: Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, Interpersonal Effectiveness and Distress Tolerance.
Therapist training and consultation: Therapists receive specialized training and participate in ongoing consultation to maintain adherence and competency.
DBT Prolonged Exposure (DBT PE) developed by Dr. Melanie Harned as a specialized therapy that combines the core principles of Dialectical Behavior Therapy with a trauma-focused approach called Prolonged Exposure (PE). It's designed to help people who have experienced trauma and are also struggling with intense emotions, self-harm or suicidal thoughts. In addition, this treatment can be beneficial for those who have experienced Traumatic Invalidation or who have compulsive behaviors.
Key features:
Targets PTSD: DBT PE specifically addresses post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms alongside other challenges.
Two-pronged approach:
DBT skills: Provides a foundation of skills for managing emotions, tolerating distress, and improving relationships.
Prolonged Exposure: Gradually confronts trauma-related memories and situations to reduce their power over time.
Safety first: DBT PE prioritizes creating a safe environment and equipping individuals with coping skills before directly addressing trauma.
Effective for complex cases: It's particularly helpful for people who haven't responded well to other treatments or who have multiple mental health conditions.