Anxiety
Anxiety, or extreme apprehension and worry, is a normal reaction to stressful situations. But in some cases, it becomes excessive and can cause sufferers to dread everyday situations. This type of steady, all-over anxiety is called Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Other anxiety-related disorders include panic attacks (severe episodes of anxiety which often happen in response to specific triggers) and obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is marked by persistent intrusive thoughts or compulsions to carry out specific behaviors (such as hand-washing).
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Anxiety is first treated by establishing a trusting and collaborative relationship so that therapy sessions are not stressful. Techniques that focus on mindfulness and breath are used to help calm the body and keep the mind focused on the present. In many instances anxiety worsens when we focus on past events or future concerns. By learning about your own thought process you can rewire the way in which you perceive situations, lowering your anxiety.
Trauma
Trauma is the emotional response to an intense situation often caused by external forces such as grief or loss, natural disasters, abuse, or other shocking events. Though it is normal to experience anxiety and acute stress after an event, trauma is the prolonged stress response that is intrusive and distressful.
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Trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy is an empirically proven technique to assist those struggling with severe anxiety and intrusive thoughts after an event. This methodology includes stabilization, trauma narration and processing, as well as integration and consolidation. During each session the therapist carefully calibrates and includes increasing exposure to trauma reminders while encouraging skills learned in previous sessions in order to master the fear, anxiety or other negative emotions evoked upon exposure to these trauma memories. Through this process new cognitions are learned and implemented. With time and ongoing practice, these cognitions become stronger and generalize to other situations, gradually replacing the maladaptive ones.
Narcissistic Abuse Trauma
My main area of focus is helping survivors of narcissistic abuse. Narcissistic abuse is an emotional and psychological form of abuse associated with those diagnosed with NPD. People with Narcissistic Personality Disorder may display behavior which is viewed as self serving, grandiose, entitled, lacking of empathy, arrogant, and/or exploitative. Signs of abuse may include: gaslighting, isolation from social supports, anxiety around making decisions, feeling belittled or put down, acts of betrayal, lack of or no accountability, sabotage within the relationship, and coercion among many others.
Open and Affirming
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness "LGBTQ people with mental health conditions may also find themselves fighting a double stigma. Confronting these challenges and mental health symptoms with an LGBTQ-inclusive therapist can lead to better outcomes, and even recovery." I am open and affirming and loves working with women within this community.