INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING I provide individual counseling/psychotherapy for adults. My fee is $135 per 55-minute session. Sliding scale is available upon request. I am currently an in-network provider with Anthem, Harvard Pilgrim and Community Health Options insurance plans. If your plan allows, superbills can be provided upon request to bill for out-of-network benefits.
My Approach
The primary modalities I use are Internal Family Systems, Polyvagal Theory and mindfulness-based and expressive arts approaches to healing including SoulCollage®. In addition to sessions in the office, I offer outdoor sessions and eco-attuned therapyon beautiful public conservation land near my office in Yarmouth, Maine.
More about my work with clients... Relationship Building The relationship between the counselor and the client is the foundation for our work together. This relationship provides the safety needed for emotional expression, relational healing, trauma resolution, and deep insights. Relationships outside of the therapy room are also critical to health and healing. Our relationships with the Earth, our families, communities, and the societies we live in are critical. Feeling a sense of belonging, safety and support, or the lack of these connections, has a great impact on our health. Whether challenges exist in your family, local community, or you are impacted by larger social problems of systemic racism, ecological crisis, or a culture of violence, we can address these issues through the lens of attachment and relational healing.
Inner Coherence and Interpersonal Skillfulness A big part of feeling healthy and whole is knowing ourselves, inside and out. On the surface, we may be aware of some of our qualities and characteristics that we feel define us, but deeper down we are often unaware of hidden thoughts, feelings and motivations. We can be a bundle of contradictions. For example, we may say we want intimacy in relationships but then find ourselves shutting down or picking fights with those we love. We may work for years to build self-compassion but still feel critical and unforgiving of aspects of ourselves we don't like. Developing internal coherence is a process of getting to know ourselves from the inside out; of working with all parts of ourselves to create a compassionate, wise, and well-functioning internal system. I use the Internal Family Systems (IFS) approach to facilitate cooperation among the many voices or "parts" of ourselves that, though we may doubt it, all have our best interest in mind. We may incorporate additional skills such as healthyboundary setting and mindful communication to support healthy, thriving relationships with our "outer" family and community.
Feeling at Home in Our Bodies It can be hard to live in a body. When we experience trauma, chronic stress, and physical illness we are reminded of this. Working with the nervous system can be a critical part of healing in therapy. As we go through life, our bodies gather information from our experiences in the world and store them in sensory memory banks. We learn what is safe and what is unsafe and develop habitual physiological responses based on past experiences. Working with the nervous system is a useful way to build resilience and restore a sense of connection and safety in the world. It also allows us to enjoy the gifts of our physical experience through movement, communion with nature, healthy sexuality, and restorative practices. I incorporate Polyvagal Theory, breathing techniques and mindfulness practices to help access the body's wisdom and integrate experiences stuck there.
Connection with the Earth We have come to a time on the planet when our relationship to the Earth cannot be ignored. There are many who have fostered deep relationships with the Earth and now feel grief and anger at witnessing ecological harm. There are many others who are just waking up to the challenges facing our beautiful planet. Wherever you are on your journey, accepting, adapting to, and evolving through climate change is something we are all called to do at this time. In addition to supporting individuals through the challenging emotions climate change brings up, I am also inspired to help build restorative, regenerative, and compassionate relationships with the natural world.
Notice to clients and prospective clients: Under the law, health care providers need to give clients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services. You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services. You can ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service, or at any time during treatment. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, or how to dispute a bill, see your Estimate, or visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.