Services

I provide counseling services for adults. I offer individual therapy, group therapy, couples counseling and family counseling. I recognize and respect both the developmental differences and needs of people of different ages and the fact that people are most comfortable with an approach to therapy that fits with them. What follows is a brief explanation of some of the ways I tailor my services to you.

Therapy with Adults

There are times when we need extra support to cope with grief, stress, worry, family conflict or unhappiness associated with challenging life circumstances. Others may need help in overcoming habits and life patterns that impede their ability to maintain healthy relationships and achieve their goals. Some may be dealing with a mental illness that can make normal functioning difficult at times. Reaching out for professional help a sign of strength and courage. Tidelands Counseling is proud to offer high quality, client-centered therapy to adults.

I utilize a variety of therapeutic approaches to assist clients in achieving healing and recovery. I have extensive experience in clinical mental health settings, and, with your approval, participate in an active collaboration with you and your other health and mental health providers (primary care physicians, psychiatrists, nutritionists) to provide you with continuity in your care.  My theoretical orientations include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Schema Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness-based Therapy. I provide therapy in a comfortable and collaborative manner and ask for your input into the treatment process so that therapy at Tidelands Counseling works for you.

Couples Counseling

Couples work can be an exciting and dynamic process, and it can also be a difficult and emotional one. At Tidelands Counseling my goal in working with couples is to help each member of the couple to get as many of their core needs met as possible. This often involves helping couples learn how to move from win-lose conflicts to conflicts where each feels like they have "won", or had their needs understood and met to some degree. In couples therapy I often deal with issues such as rekindling the passion, financial concerns, parenting issues, infidelity, managing life changes, problems related to addictions, anger issues, and balancing work and family needs.   

Relationships that last, that allow each partner in the relationship to grow and thrive, require skills that we may not have learned from our family of origin. These skills include assertiveness, conflict resolution, healthy communication, and learning how to nurture your partner and the relationship.

Group Counseling

Group counseling can be incredibly effective in supporting growth and change. It is often a more powerful tool for change than individual therapy. While initially it can make people anxious to think about talking about personal issues in front of strangers, once a group is up and running group members typically find tremendous support in the group and group process. Groups offer you the opportunity to receive understanding, support, and encouragement from others facing similar issues and gain different perspectives, ideas, and viewpoints on those issues. Most personal problems are interpersonal in nature. Very often they stem from our relationships or from our personal patterns of relating. Group therapy offers the rare opportunity to explore and understand how you relate to others and get specific feedback on how others react to you.

Benefits of group counseling include:

• Group can afford the opportunity to be real with others in an environment of safety and respect.
• Group can counteract feelings of isolation and a sense of being alone with ones feelings.
• Members are able to try out new behaviors.
• Group can provide members with diverse views, responses, and feedback.
• In group, members often see their usual patterns of relating to people, allowing for an opportunity to challenge these patterns.
• Group can allow members the chance to explore and better understand themselves.
• In group, members can learn new social techniques, ways of relating, and how to better cope with difficulties.

At Tidelands Counseling I run groups for people with Borderline Personality Disorder and related personality disorders, and a Borderline Personality Disorder Family Support Group. Groups are formed when there are enough clients (typically 8 -10) interested in participating in a specific type of group.

Family Counseling

Family therapy is useful in addressing issues which involve two or more members of a family. As with couples therapy, in family therapy my goal is to help each member of the family get as many of their needs met as possible within the context of respecting and honoring the needs of others in the family. Achieving these goals often involves improving communication, working through and resolving long-standing issues, building conflict resolution skills, and supporting each family member in expressing their opinions, thoughts and feelings.

I see families as a dynamic system where anything anyone does in the family has the potential to profoundly impact other family members. This connectedness is what can make families so important, but it can also cause difficulties. Through developing a better understanding of how your family interacts with each other and the world, I can support you in making changes in your family that are supportive of individual and family emotional health.