Perspective
The information below offers you insights into how I support my clients’ goals and aspirations. I view our work together as a collaborative process, while attending to my client's strengths, offering alternative perspectives, and holding a healing space for them to discover how they can successfully manage the challenges that life brings them. The following are the pillars of my approach: Person-in-Context, Solution-focused, and Trauma-informed.
Person- in-Context
Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual. When working with clients, I utilize a Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual (BPSS) perspective. This means I will explore each realm of a person’s being...the physical, emotional, social-relational, and spiritual AND their environment. Additionally, when I consider the problem(s) clients share with me, I also attend to the larger context (or various systems) in which my clients are positioned.
Systemic. I view problems systemically, rather than linearly (e.g., A causes B). This means I view problems as developing in a fluid or interactive manner (∞) between members of a relational system and those interactions become patterns that maintain problems or influence change. One benefit to this perspective is that change by any member of a relational system will influence that system's functioning. Another benefit to this perspective is that problems can be addressed together and driven by a common set of goals. However, when clients become stuck with assuming too much or too little responsibility for problems they are facing, I can offer strategies for individuals seeking change within their relational experiences. Ultimately though, when all members of a system are mutually invested and possess an attitude of shared responsibility for problem-solving, change can happen with greater ease.
Intergenerational (Family-of-Origin). Just because the people who were meant to keep you safe may have failed you, you can break the cycle and begin to heal from the consequences of the past. Our key attachment experiences can inform how we connect with and respond to the needs of others, as well as our own. Essentially, we learn from the example of the generations before us. Thus, I always consider how one’s early life experiences within their family-of-origin influence how they are living in the present. Breaking relational patterns requires the identification of problematic patterns and implementing alternative ways of responding to conflict. My goal is to help you break intergenerational patterns, leaving the next generation better off than the one before you.
Solution-Focused
Solution-Focused. I have often told my children, ‘MOST problems are solvable’. This mindset offers hope and establishes an intention for seeking solutions, rather than being paralyzed by one’s situation. When my clients experience distress, I prefer to help them ‘zoom out’ with curiosity and look at the problem from multiple angles, to identify possible solutions. Of course, this is easier said than done; which is why having a trained professional on your side can be so valuable.
However, when solutions to unchangeable circumstances exist (e.g., terminal illness, disability, death), my role is to be present with clients – in their reality -- by honoring their pain in ways that other people in their life are unable to provide.
Trauma-Informed
Trauma-Informed. There’s a point in life where the survival responses we were required to utilize no longer serve us, or our relationships. So, although the past can impact us deeply, there comes a time when identifying new ways to respond to triggers, serves as an opportunity for change and healing, even when it can be scary, challenging, or unfamiliar.
Re-experiencing, avoidance, and arousal are clues to unresolved trauma. I support clients with developing essential skills for managing the impact of life-changing experiences by beginning with the body’s 5 senses (i.e., sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste). I guide them to recognize the body's clues for identifying what they are needing, moment by moment.
As I facilitate body awareness and strategies for regulation (through the parasympathetic nervous system), clients become empowered in responding to and diminishing the severity of trigger responses. Ultimately, I strive to support my client’s ability to be in the present moment, fully, and respond differently, with the goal of claiming an identity as a survivor.