Individual Therapy

My personal experience made me a believer.

Many years ago, right after 9/11/2001, I had a breakdown. The 9/11 attack made me realize all my worst catastrophic thinking. Anthrax attacks followed after 9/11, and many personal changes in my life made me feel like I was going insane.

I didn’t want to leave the house, had a crippling fear of flying, and could not get the mail. I was lucky enough to find an anxiety disorders treatment clinic and discovered that I had OCD and panic disorder.

A graduate student in clinical psychology treated me using cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques, which changed my life.

Through therapy, I overcame all my fears and eventually traveled worldwide on my own. Now, over 20 years later, I am certified in this technique and use it to assist my clients in moving out of similar challenges.

Anxiety can manifest in so many ways.

Rapid heart rate, sweaty palms, hyperventilation, germ phobias, perfectionism, social phobias, and repetitive behaviors, such as counting and checking, are expressions of anxiety.

Some folks try to “undo” bad thoughts in their minds or with behaviors. Overthinking is the hallmark of anxiety.

My lived experience with severe anxiety places me in a perfect position to help you recover. Working with thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in our work together will give you a deep understanding of why we respond to events with anxiety and how we can break the cycle of overwhelm that anxiety causes.

Trauma can bring about anxiety.

For some people, anxiety disorders develop out of trauma. Using a trauma-informed approach (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR), I can help you process challenging events.

You often hear, “That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” – I don’t believe this. Sometimes that which doesn’t kill you ruins your life. Trauma exhausts us, makes us always watch our backs, causes us not to trust relationships and makes us feel like we are always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The way trauma makes us feel is not our fault, and we need help to get through it. Healing from trauma is relational, and I am here to support you to see that you can have healing, calm, and well-grounded relationships.

Depression is often the other side of anxiety, and I have specific techniques that I use in therapy to assist you in getting out of the sedentary hellscape of depression.

Let’s create healthy boundaries.

With all that is going on in the world, I am here to give you a sense of peace in your sphere and to teach you healthy boundaries to protect you from that which does not serve you.

Personal experience taught me the power of therapy in treating anxiety, depression, and other behaviors and feelings caused by events beyond our control.

I offer individual therapy via telehealth and in person in Pasadena, CA. Each session targets your specific needs, strengths, goals, and aspirations.

I do this work because so many others have helped me, and I know there is hope for change and recovery.

Call me, and we will walk through this together.