Services

I offer counseling that is geared toward the unique needs of Individuals, Families and Couples. I also have expertise assisting clients who are Professionals, Artists and New Americans.

Individuals

My approach is focused on results and being proactive about problems. My work with clients is characterized by intuition, compassion, optimism and collaboration. I am gently straightforward and encouraging without any pressure.

Counseling holds the space for you to conquer your fears, learn about your thought processes and get the emotional tools you need to greatly improve your quality of life.

I work with individuals undergoing personal challenges such as:

• Dating and relationship dilemmas - navigating successfully today's "dating scene" and understanding how your behavior patterns affect your relationships
• Infidelity - recovering your dignity and self-confidence after an affair
• Break-ups or divorce - discovering the inner resources to carry you through the pain of an ending relationship
• Sexual concerns - being able to openly discuss sexual preferences, behaviors and changes in a safe and non-judgmental environment
• Career issues - exploring your temperament, personality, abilities, interests and aspirations to find your best suited profession or career change
• Mid-life crisis - busting the myth that aging is a negative experience; preparing to become a guide and role-model for younger generations
• Depression - uncovering life problems, identifying destructive thinking, and exploring negative behaviors to relieve symptoms of depression
• Stress management - changing the old habit of getting worked-up and ways of living that no longer serve you; focusing on how you can bring compassionate self-care, health and wellness into your daily routines
• Grief - feeling the loss and learning to move through the pain so that you can eventually heal the sorrow

Couples

I can help couples in despair, frightened that their relationship is beyond saving. Your communications have broken down, trust has eroded and sex is almost nonexistent.

I also frequently assist fundamentally strong couples that may be facing a specific crisis, or have recently formed a blended family and want the aid of a professional.

Healthy communication is a key ingredient of a successful relationship. Through couples counseling I will help you to understand the way in which you presently communicate, and then teach you new skills & solutions to improve ways to talk to each other.

• Sharing space - adjusting gracefully to living together
• Lack of cooperation as a couple - work out your power struggles over priorities, decision making and money management
• Conflict avoidance - express your feelings in an assertive yet peaceful way, so that your partner will hear you
• No more spark - rekindle your "honey-moon" excitement when routine interferes with romance and connection
• Infidelity - survive and overcome transgression in a relationship
• Frequent conflicts - celebrate your differences and learn to fight fairly
• Lack of responsibility - learn how to own your mistakes, stop blaming each other and work on problems together

Families/Parents

My extensive experience helping families includes all types: two parent, single parent, those blended through second marriages, extended, inter-racial, adoptive, and non-traditional arrangements.

My preferred method of addressing family issues is to work with the parents to help them understand their personal parenting style, getting on the same page, and forming a strong parental partnership capable of successfully negotiating the different stages in their children's development.

I also work with the family as a whole group and with individuals or components of the family in order to promote and improve safe and clear communication.

• Lack of cohesive parenting strategy - restore the original mutual respect, admiration and trust you once felt for one another so that you can model for your children balanced adult behaviors
• Blaming each other for the kids' misbehavior - identify your parenting strengths and how you can complement each other
• Arguments over who's right - define a shared vision of good parenting and ways to make it happen
• Competing with each other as to who's the best parent - create a cohesive parental partnership with well coordinated efforts to attain positive results from your children on a consistent basis
• The kids are acting out - build healthy boundaries and learn to say no only when necessary with self-control, and stamina; you have to know why you're saying no each and every time
• Chaotic family environment - learn strategies to bring order and calm on a daily basis through the use of family meetings and assigning each family member specific tasks

Professionals

Local business people are my specialty: from bankers and physicians to ranchers and winemakers.

Self exploration helps individuals to think more clearly and to understand how personal and organizational dynamics influence business. In counseling with me you can better grasp the psychological influences that can interfere with your capacity to manage your work or business.

I offer a safe, practical and confidential opportunity to explore issues and trouble-shoot problems, so that you are freer to make thoughtful decisions and react more rationally and objectively to external events.

• Managing work/life balance - particularly dealing with the complexities of family life while handling a high-stress work environment
• Delegation - understanding why delegating work can be useful and when it can be problematic
• Business communication - having difficult conversations with colleagues and staff
• Bad habits - how early life experiences affect work performance and career choice
• Understanding work environment behavior - helping business leaders use psychological understanding and strategies to improve negotiation and management
• Better communication - removing obstacles to more effective communication
• Support and advice - how to seek support and advice and from whom
• Risk - how to be better psychologically equipped to take risks in business life
• Family business issues - going into business with your spouse and/or family members
• Confidence on the job - self-doubt and fears that you will be exposed as being poorly equipped for your job

Artists

Many artists are skeptical or fearful about entering counseling as they imagine their pain and unhappiness is the motivator for their artistic creations. There are conflicts of time versus money, structure vs. freedom, the need for connection to others and the need for solitude and creative time.

As a former professional violinist, I am familiar with the issues specific to creative individuals. I believe that removing creative blocks and resolving conflicts is the path to free more energy for inspiration and productivity, while at the same time allowing one to have a more fulfilling life.

• Creative blocks - your "flow" has come to a standstill and you need a strategy to reboot
• Attention problems - find ways to deal with distractions from your creative work
• Perfectionism - learn how to overcome the "it's never finished" syndrome
• Isolation - reenter the "real world" and connect with those around you during the creative process
• Work avoidance - develop necessary discipline to invest time in your creative process on a daily basis
• Self doubt - reduce the negative self-talk that undermines your self-confidence as an artist
• Time management - learn about safe-guards against dead-line stress and panic

New Americans

As a multilingual and bicultural counselor, I have "first hand" insight into the psychological complications arising from emigrating to a new country. I also have practical suggestions on how to ease your discomforts, where to find community supports and how to savor the waves of new information, habits and traditions coming your way, while preserving your identity and cultural heritage.

• Nostalgia - learn to self-soothe when feeling sad and longing for the old country
• Survivor guilt - work through feelings of self-loathing for surviving the traumatic event that triggered one's need to leave, or worse, being forced to leave his or her native country
• Language barrier - overcome the inability to fully express oneself or to comprehend subtleties of the new language
• Culture shock - conquer the apprehension resulting from the sudden exposure to an unfamiliar cultural environment
• Parenting issues - understand your children whom are immersed in a new culture and want to "fit in"
• Concern for aging parents - find viable solutions to care for aging parents left in the country of origin