Areas of Expertise
Psychotherapy & Compassionate Inquiry
Compassionate Inquiry is an approach that works to identify and witness a client’s unresolved traumas, which are held within implicit and somatic memories, the somatic system, assumptions, and false beliefs. The goal of this approach is to inquire through the unconscious narrative a client tells themselves to discover the root of the trauma, the adaptive behavior pattern developed in response to the trauma, and the meaning the client ascribed to the trauma. The approach is engaged in service of letting go of the hold those unconscious narratives have had on the client’s life, freeing them from their adaptive patterns of behavior.
PolyVagal Theory & Safe and Sound Protocol
The Polyvagal theory works with neuroception, attunement, mirroring, and modeling to establish a sensation of relational safety and co-regulation. This theory allows for the healing of attachment wounds incurred in developmental periods, while addressing security in the present. Safe and Sound Protocol is a sound therapy approach in which a client listens to tone-manipulated music to exercise the inner ear and the related synaptic connections, establishing safety in interpersonal interactions.
Trauma-informed Care Training and Consulting
Trauma-informed care approaches are dedicated to realizing the impacts of unresolved histories of trauma, recognizing the patterns of behavior related to these injuries, responding with appropriate strategies for regulation and co-regulation, and resisting the potential for retraumatization in interactions with others.
We provide custom training events to educate you, your staff, and your associates in the implementation of trauma-informed care practices. We have training sessions from a foundational 2-hour training through a comprehensive three-day training.
Additionally, we provide consulting for organizations and government leadership in creating an effective trauma-informed organization, including policy, procedure, and protocol reviews to ensure adherence to trauma-informed care practices.
My Approach
My therapeutic approach varies from others in that I leverage empathic witnessing and narrative sharing as a means to create mutuality, collaboration, and peer support.
Oftentimes, therapists create power dynamics that lead to transference and engagement in drama triangle encounters that reinforce adaptive patterns of behavior. Rather than working from a power differential, I work from a place of commonality and collaboration, sharing stories as a means to understand a client's perspective, goals, and experiences.
This narrative-based approach allows for me to make informed therapeutic decisions and assist clients in creating an understanding of the root events associated with patterns of behavior. Once we understand the root, we can work to provide for the needs that were left unmet, resolving the pattern of behavior.
Training, Speaking, and Consulting
I provide Trauma-informed Care training and consulting for organizations seeking to work from a trauma-informed care approach. Organizations that work from a trauma-informed approach have increased success and satisfaction in every aspect of functioning.
If your organization is seeking to ensure all staff understand the impact of adaptive patterns of behavior on clients and colleagues and to learn how to provide appropriate responses to each stakeholder, training in trauma-informed care practices is exactly what your organization needs.
If your organization is seeking to create an environment in which leadership, staff, and clients are thriving, engaged, and fulfilled, then your organization needs trauma-informed care consulting to ensure all aspects of the organization, from policies to the physical environment are supportive of healthy growth and development.
If your organization or event needs a keynote speaker to communicate the importance of relational interactions and trauma-responsive practices, please reach out for our customized engagement options.
