I provide individual therapy to teenagers, parents, adults, relationships, and marriage and co-parenting counseling for couples in Folsom, California through a very holistic approach.

I’m here to help you process your experiences and more effectively manage your struggles, all while developing healthier habits for life enhancing outcomes.

THERAPY FOR ANXIETY

A woman lies in bed, covers tucked up to her chest, resting an open book over her face.

There is stress and then there is anxiety. Stress has this beautiful way of propelling us to show up, to seek safety, to compete, to be responsible, and to accomplish. However, sometimes that stress turns into anxiety and now all the benefits of that stress somehow turn into powerfully debilitating symptoms that create unwanted fears and in many cases detachment from life. Whether it’s genetic, biological, temperament, or environmental factors, there is hope for you.

Let me help you learn about your unique causes and begin to teach you tools to find relief from those symptoms so you can enjoy an active and fulfilling life.

THERAPY FOR DEPRESSION

A woman sits on the edge of her bed, face resting in her hand, eyes closed.

Everyone experiences sadness at times in their life, but sometimes that sadness can move to depression. Depression can cause feelings of helplessness or hopelessness. It can cause difficulty concentrating, lack of motivation, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness and/or guilt. In extreme cases depression can create chronic pain, withdrawal from life and even thoughts of suicide.

Let me help you explore these symptoms and begin to overcome those pervasive thoughts and behaviors that have become overwhelming and have robbed you of the joys of life.

THERAPY FOR PARENTING

A mother and her two children stand outside, surrounded by plants. She has her arms wrapped around both children, smiling.

We’ve all heard it…. parenting is the most difficult job on the planet. Sometimes this feels truer than others. And, no matter what stage of life our kids are in, it can be challenging to navigate the issues, the behaviors, and the emotions they are experiencing. We all desire our kids to be happy and healthy and to have a good relationship with them.

Having raised three kids myself in addition to my professional and educational experience in this area, I can help strategize your parenting difficulties and teach parenting tools that can evolve with the unique needs and life stage of your kids. Sometimes it’s learning not to major in the minor issues of life, with the goal of finding a peaceful coexistence that includes respectful structure and appropriate expectations.

CO-PARENTING AND DIVORCE COUNSELING

Twp parents and their child sit outdoors at a picnic table lined with fruit, plates, and other utensils. A green park view is visible in the background.

Divorce is hard. Divorce when kids are involved is even harder.

The best thing we can offer our kids as a parent is a healthy you and a way to peacefully parent with your partner.

In working with me, you will go through an 8-week course that will teach you how to navigate the challenges of co-parenting, even when your partner is not a willing participant.

COUPLES AND MARRIAGE COUNSELING

A couple sit close together on the floor, surrounded by moving boxes. One partner has a laptop in her lap, and they both smile toward the screen.

Sometimes we hurt the ones we love the most. It’s no secret that romantic relationships are hard work. We struggle to communicate, argue about the hard issues, and often leave our best behavior on the doorstep. Our past traumas and relationship baggage bring unwanted repetitive behaviors and create hard feelings and resentment.

As a marriage counselor who’s also been married for 25 years, let’s work to together to heal the hard stuff, learn tools and strategies to navigate challenging issues, and find a more peaceful place in your relationships. We are designed to be in relationship with others, I will walk along side you helping to find stability and fulfillment to you and your significant other.

THERAPY FOR EXECUTIVES & WORK STRESS

Three diverse executives in business professional attire stand outside a brick building, each holding binders. They laugh and talk together, gesturing at the documents they are holding.

Our work environments can be challenging to say the least, and we struggle to know how to take control of the symptoms brought on by the stress of our jobs. Working with others can be arduous as well, and we need some extra tools and coaching to help get our message communicated and lead others to success. Dealing with difficult people or even family poses a whole new level of need. Trust has been lost and you no longer can navigate the complexities of the business because the complexities of the relationships have built unmovable walls.

I was a PR consultant for nearly 20 years, and am skilled in dealing with strong minded people, strategizing corporate politics, and navigating difficult employer/employee issues to help you find a better work-life balance.

THERAPY FOR TEENAGERS & YOUNG ADULTS

I have spent much of my career working with teens in the throes of late junior high and high school navigating the ups and downs of peer relationships, challenging school responsibilities, newfound fears of failure and disappointment, and the overwhelming changes they are going through biologically. I also love working with twenty-somethings as they begin adulting, and helping families transition through this life stage as a team.

A teenager sits cross-legged on the floor, wearing a backpack and headphones around her neck. She is holding a notebook in her lap, while writing in it.

Young adults often struggle to make the jump to this next season of life. It can be scary and unfamiliar and brings a lot of unwanted feelings of inadequacy.

While these life stages can be challenging (and COVID may have set you back a bit), I have a way of connecting with you and making you feel safe giving you the unconditional space you need to share your experiences both good and bad.

Often, I see healing just in giving you a place to talk and organize your thoughts. Sometimes therapy is the place where you will finally feel ready to listen to what you need to hear both from your gut and from an outside perspective. I’ve got the experience and the tools to help you with your unwanted symptoms.

I’m here to remind your teen that this season of life is temporary and the world ahead of them is full of opportunity as they learn how to manage their personal challenges, begin to see who they are, and discover what makes them authentic.

EMDR & TRAUMA THERAPY

I offer therapy to help you process and heal from your trauma, as well as anxiety and depression that often occur as a result. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy is an incredibly effective way to experience that healing process.

This image shows a close-up of a bright blue eye, looking directly into the camera.

As defined by EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) website: “EMDR is a structured therapy that encourages the patient to focus briefly on the trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and PTSD symptoms. Ongoing research supports positive clinical outcomes showing EMDR therapy as a helpful treatment for disorders such as anxiety, depression, OCD, chronic pain, addictions, and other distressing life experiences (Maxfield, 2019). EMDR therapy has even been superior to Prozac in trauma treatment (Van der Kolk et al., 2007). Shapiro and Forrest (2016) share that more than 7 million people have been treated successfully by 110,000 therapists in 130 countries since 2016.

In simple terms I like to use a library metaphor. Our memories are like books that sit on a shelf in the library - these are neutral memories, happy memories and hard memories. Then we have our traumatic memories. Those are the books that lay on the floor unorganized. We slip and trip over these books. The pages are torn and tattered and the covers are often worn or even ripped off. EMDR helps us repair those books and find their place on the library shelf. It helps us to stop tripping over them and instead arrange them alphabetically and orderly with all the other books.