My Intention

For Potential Clients: My intention is to hold space for your endless possibilities of change. By guiding you towards experiencing more confidence, calmness, clarity, and compassion, you can find the answers and wisdom already within you. When life presents hardships, I hope you are able to access these qualities already within you, and you do so more easily and frequently. And then this leads to a more kind and loving relationship with yourself and others.

Furthermore, I hope this page gives you a sense of clients I have been successful in providing therapy to, and some of my limitations as a therapist. I am the therapist you work with when you already have some skills in managing your symptoms and daily life. Our work together can help you heal unresolved experiences or emotions and make lasting changes in yourself and in your relationships.

Beginning Therapy

Usually, it takes several sessions for me to learn your hopes for therapy, your background, and for us to build a trusting relationship. Successful therapy is significantly based on if we are a good fit for one another and your openness to change. Therefore, I recommend weekly sessions to start, then eventually move to bi-weekly, monthly, or as needed sessions. However, this is your therapy and you decide the frequency of sessions. When you are ready, we will begin to address what contributes to your symptoms or behaviors and circumstances.

Therapy

In due time, and when you feel comfortable, we will explore what led you here; to your current feelings, behaviors and circumstances. We will discuss my approaches and see what interests you. My typical session structure is:

  • The first 5-10 minutes you may tell me what you feel is important for me to know since I last saw you.
  • Then you name what you would like to focus on.
  • Because the majority of sessions are focused on healing, I generally don’t give assignments.
  • Once in awhile you may want to spend a session talking only and not do healing work. This is your choice and it’s up to you! While doing the healing work may seem scary or intimidating, you get to control how deep we go and at what pace. Most people feel a sense of relief or better after talking or venting, but may not experience long-term benefits or change. My best work is when I guide you in healing.

Life experiences I work with:

  • Trauma and Tragedies
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Grief and Loss (changes in life involve feelings of loss)
  • Relationship and communication issues (intimate, family of origin, friends, work)
  • Addictions (including behavioral addictions) *see below
  • Members of oppressed populations; If I have a wait list and you identify as an oppressed person(s), let me know and you will be moved to the top of my wait list.

Clientele

Intimate Relationships: If violence is occurring in your relationship, please contact a therapist who specializes in domestic violence on Psychology Today or Waypoint Services: 319.365.1458.

My experience working with intimate relationships:

  • a partner with an extensive trauma history
  • someone struggles with an addiction
  • emotional and physical affairs
  • oppressed person(s)
  • increase connectedness and intimacy with improved communication skills
  • adult children and parents

I am also interested in working with the following intimate relationships: colleagues, non-monogamous, and friends.

Mental Health Professionals: I work with mental health providers, many seeking IFS. Also, I work with couples where one or both partners are mental health or medical professionals.

Ages: I most often work with individuals and couples in their 30’s to 60’s.

  • Children: I highly recommend a Play Therapist for children. I can offer referrals to therapists who provide this service or you may search Psychology Today
  • Teens/Adolescents: I can offer referrals to therapists who work with teens, or you may search Psychology Today.

Crisis: Because I am only available for phone calls and emails during regular office hours and it may be up to 48 hours before I am able to respond, I am not a good fit for those who experience crisis regularly or emergencies, require communication outside of regular office hours, or on-call services for emergencies (suicidal tendencies, psychosis, etc.). If you are in crisis now, please contact Cedar Rapids area Foundation 2 at 319.362.2174 or 800.332.4224, chat online foundation2crisischat.org. National text or call 988, chat online. Or go to the nearest emergency room. To work with a therapist who can assist you, contact Mercy, Unity Point, or Abbe Mental Health Center.

Addictions: No one says, “I want to become an alcoholic…shopaholic…self-harm…involved in abusive relationships.” Underneath painful behaviors (ex: addictions, abuse of self or others) are painful losses and unhealed wounds like neglect or trauma. Together, we work on building the ability to be with, and resolve the underlying pain.

I may recommend a higher level of care and refer you to a local treatment center:

Therapists and counselors with CADC credentials are specialized in treating substance use disorders.