Therapists in Gainesville, FL

I am accepting new clients! Do you feel overwhelmed by the demands of life? Do you struggle with fatigue, exhaustion, and often feel irritated? Maybe life has felt like an unending wave of stress and you long to come up for air. You long for things to calm down, so you can get back on top of it. Therapy with me will be a place to slow down, take a moment, and share your story with someone who cares. I strive to understand the context of your struggles first, so that we can unravel the deeper meaning of what’s going on. I can help you untangle what it is that YOU want and stand up to the outside pressures.

My client has a need to feel better about issues that they cannot resolve. My client wants to be educated about what they are feeling, and why they experience it. My client will learn, and apply managing techniques for coping, calming and self correcting their triggers to dysfunctional thoughts and actions.

Are you at a turning point in your life and looking for change but not sure what to do? Frustrated with behavior that seems to be counterproductive? Haunted by past events, nightmares or anxiety? You can't get your ducks in a row if they are all in the closet; therapy is a good way to get them out and gives you someone to help herd them. “More Joy” is my motto, in life and in counseling, and I'd love to help you.

My therapy approach is collaborative, client-centered, trauma informed, and prioritizes the therapeutic relationship. Clients are typically motivated to work together for change, may have internal and/or external events that increase anxiety/fears, stress, panic, and interfere with sleep, relationships, goals, and self care. Clients often want to understand what is happening and why. Additionally, we work to explore practical tools and coping strategies. We also examine ways to process losses and experiences that continue impact their lives.

Do you struggle with depression, anxiety and/or stress in your life? I enjoy helping clients explore their life story and establish connections from their past with their current behavioral patterns. As we go through life, we often receive messages that having certain emotions are bad. When we experience hurt, rejection and/or abandonment, we often become overly focused on finding ways to prevent ourselves from experiencing pain again. This often comes at a cost which can then often compound the pain we are feeling. Additionally, many of my clients struggle with control and/or perfectionist thinking.

Are you worried you might be drinking too much? Having trouble getting out of bed? Have the ‘fuck its?’ Do you sometimes not care if you wake up? Partner tell you to get help or else? Having problems concentrating at work and making mistakes? Or maybe you are noticing your feelings and thoughts seem out of control? Are you laying awake at night reliving "failures?" Feeling exhausted? You are NOT alone. You are in the right place for help, answers, and finally, some relief!

I believe that everybody has inside of them a great capacity for healing. My role is to help you connect with that capacity and to support you in creating lasting changes that bring you greater ease and joy. What you can expect from therapy with me is that we will work together to understand what you want and the best way to get there. Having a therapeutic relationship helps you navigate the challenges you are facing in your life. My style is warm, open, direct, and collaborative balanced with a commitment to facilitate your growth.

You are struggling in your romantic relationship. You want to grow together, but are feeling stuck, hurt and disconnected. You don't know how to solve problems that arise and communicate in a productive way. I specialize in couples counseling and can help you both restore the love and happiness you deserve in your relationship. Counseling also provides a place for you to sort through the complexities of life and learn skills to successfully navigate these challenges. You may be going through a difficult transition of a relationship, career, or move, and questioning your next step. Therapy provides the support and tools to help.

Imagine finding yourself more often in the right place, at the right time, with the right people, resources and opportunities unfolding for you, just by following your good inner promptings. Working with both your conscious and subconscious behavior, I help you get out of your own way and create more success, health and happiness for yourself and people you love. So what’s missing, the presence of which would make all the difference in your life? I help you find out what you didn’t know that you didn’t know, create new possibilities, let go of old patterns that no longer serve you, and become more fully who you say you want to be.

**Accepting new clients beginning May 2023** Too often we are unable to fully experience our potential in life because we are in pain, feel stuck, or are struggling with difficult emotions. During these times it can be hard to gather the strength needed to move forward. My approach is humanistic, interactive, and collaborative in nature. I trust that a secure and trusting therapeutic relationship has the potential to facilitate tremendous growth and emotional repair. As one moves toward healing my hope is that our work together will empower you to make the meaningful changes and facilitate personal growth.

All of our services are outpatient - office based treatment. Our patients are initially seen to determine if they are suffering from Opioid Use Disorder and if they are appropriate for Buprenorphine Treatment with Subutex or Suboxone. Patients undergo an induction and stabilization period that will require more frequent visits but our expectation is that patients can be stable with monthly medication visits. In addition our patients attend a group therapy session once a month or more frequently if they are having difficulty with compliance. Patients are given random drug screens and pills are counted at least at each medication visit.

I treat all anxiety disorders, depression, ADD, spectrum disorders, traumatic brain injuries, other incurred or congenital disabilities, children and adults with disabilities and psychosocial variables, including family members and making recommendations for improved work and school performances. I employ empowerment theories, play therapies, CBT, Christian and faith based counseling, as well as preventative and wholistic approaches.

I believe crisis is part of living.How each of us survives and potentially grows from our times of life crisis, emotional trauma or injury , will shape who we are and how we approach our life path.Prior to beginning private practice, I spent 35 years as clinical supervisor and director of the Alachua County Crisis Center, I counseled individuals, couples and families as they struggled on their life journeys... Dealing with relationship issues, loss of loved ones, facing traumatic pasts and uncertain futures have often led to feelings of despair, anxiety , hopelessness ,depression and a sense of isolation and disconnection.

I believe everyone has a story that stitches them together to make them who they become. The journey to complete wholeness of that story sometimes requires assistance, and I believe that’s where I come in.

Are you unsettled with a super hero cape that is weighing you down? Do you look like you have it all together, but you're secretly dealing with issues? Are you the one that people turn to for help with their problems, but you are to afraid or embarrassed to ask for help yourself? ​It is very easy to become consumed with trying to have it all, pretending to be okay, and putting others first. Unfortunately, the sacrifice of neglecting yourself, carrying emotional baggage from unaddressed pain, trauma, anger, and unhappiness, can lead to you feeling depleted physically, financially and mentally.

If you are ready to make a change, I am here to help you. My therapeutic style is warm, non-judgmental, and supportive so that you may express yourself openly and freely. I work with individuals struggling with Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, Mood disorders, Substance Abuse and addictive disorders, low self-esteem, grief and loss, relationship, and codependency. I am a Qualified supervisor for the state of Florida to the Clinical Social Work interns.

My goal in therapy is to help you rediscover your self - and to help you work through barriers to living your life with presence, vitality, meaning, and connection. We can address your loss of direction, depression, anxiety, grief, and relationship concerns through a combination of discussion, practical body-mind techniques, coaching, and awareness practices. I want to help you feel grounded and empowered, to discover what you care about, and to take practical action... so you're able to live your life with greater freedom and fulfillment.

I have been in the profession of helping people for 36 years. It is my approach to treat the whole person not just the symptoms. In that regard we begin a process that resolves not only the symptoms they present to me, but returns to them the feeling of being alive and in command of their own lives in a fashion that allows them to have healthy relationships, function well in their jobs and work, and have a positive sense of themselves.