Individual Outpatient Counseling

Counseling Services Offered

Do you struggle with feeling out of control - or, alternately, with working desperately hard to stay in control? Does the idea of losing or letting go of control feel terrifying and dangerous? Maybe you even swing between these extremes at times, and have no idea why. Trauma, stress, and challenging life experiences can show up in lots of different ways, with lots of different symptoms. I’ve worked with people who have many different kinds of presenting concerns or diagnoses, but who have similar struggles with control in one way or another. I help people who are confused by their emotional reactions to make sense of their feelings, and to learn how to cope with their stress in order to heal and grow. I love collaborating with clients to build a sense of safety and a strong working alliance, particularly with people who have experiences of relational trauma. Whether you are totally new to counseling, or have been in therapy for years, I want to work with you during this part of your story.

I provide individual, outpatient therapy to adults, ages 18+. I am currently offering telehealth services to North Carolina residents, and offer face-to-face therapy options in the Winston-Salem, NC area. I do not work with couples, families, or children. I have specific expertise in working with emerging and young adults through developmental transitions as well.

Areas of Clinical Experience & Expertise

• Family of origin work

• Grief and loss

• LGBTQIAA needs, including gender transition

• Trauma recovery and trauma-related diagnoses

• Intimate partner violence, family violence, and sexual assault/abuse

• Body image, eating disorders, & disordered eating and exercise

• Substance use disorders

A Little About Outpatient Therapy

Outpatient treatment involves meeting either virtually or in my office for a 50-minute session. Typically the most frequently I meet with someone is once a week, though there may be times where crisis or safety leads to additional safety check-ins. However, these are only in the event of a short-term crisis. There may be times when your symptoms and needs rise to a level at which outpatient care is no longer enough to provide the appropriate clinical, ethical care and treatment for you. If I am ethically unable to provide outpatient services, I will have this conversation with you and refer you to a higher level of care designed to offer the best support for you at that time.

Therapy can be a challenging process; clients do not always feel immediate relief upon beginning therapy. In order to get the most benefit from the counseling process, it is essential for clients to participate fully. This participation includes providing accurate information to the best of your ability, including information about progress and challenges in meeting goals. It’s also important to attend sessions as scheduled, to participate during sessions, and to engage in treatment recommendations and homework outside of session. If something we are doing isn’t working, please let me know this as soon as possible so that we can work to find a different solution.

My Therapeutic Orientation - How I approach counseling

I use an integrated approach that is grounded in person-centered and trauma-informed theories. I also have training and experience working with: multicultural and feminist frameworks (like relational cultural theory), Health at Every Size and intuitive eating modalities, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness interventions, somatic practices, and motivational interviewing techniques.

Basically, all of those different terms mean that I think change happens through relationships, including our relationships to our selves, our communities, and the world around us. I see growth as not linear, and believe we often have a lot of ambivalence and complicated feelings about the changes we want or need to make. We hold more wisdom in our bodies and emotions than we may think at first; we just have to develop skills to learn how to work with these parts of ourselves.

In counseling, I will collaborate with you to determine what therapeutic language will help you best understand your own growth and healing process, and to identify what skills and practices you can use in the context of your formal and informal support networks. With a strong therapeutic relationship, we can work together to help you navigate normative life transitions and stressors, and heal from painful, adverse, and traumatic experiences. You can learn more about my clinical work and experience by viewing my Counseling Professional Disclosure Statement.