Self Esteem Therapists in Bristol, VT

Are you tired of feeling limited by your fears, overwhelmed by unwanted panic attacks or worn out by staying small in relationships so you don’t seem like “too much”? You may find yourself constantly worrying no matter what you do. You might not even remember a time things didn’t feel this way. But one thing is for sure: you’re ready for some relief. You’re ready to quiet the constant “what-if’s” in your head and live your life. You’re ready to feel capable in handling what life throws at you. Most of all, you’re ready to feel peace, confidence, and fulfillment again.

Finding balance in life can be overwhelming with contrast all around us. I am passionate about providing a safe and empowering space for individuals to be themselves. The work we do together will be intentional and geared toward self-discovery. I am dedicated to helping you connect with your inner source. Together we will explore verbal, visual and creative expression to help bring awareness to the ways in which the mind and body store and manifest negative patterns.

Are you finding that as life gets busier and more complicated, you've lost connection with your family? Does it seem that your children have become more complex and harder to understand as they grow older? These are challenges that many families face, challenges that are magnified when factors such as trauma, depression, anxiety, attachment and family dynamics issues are present. We all want to feel a sense of peace, happiness and connection with those we care about. With greater understanding and support, comes greater harmony.

I believe that the relationship between client and counselor is key to healing and growth. I bring a supportive and non-judgmental approach to examine the thoughts and beliefs that keep us stuck in unproductive and often painful patterns in our lives and in our relationships. Using warmth, compassionate curiosity, humor, and especially respect, I build a strong alliance to support adults from all backgrounds and identities who are experiencing depression, anxiety, difficulty in relationships, major life transitions, substance use, abuse, and addiction. Together we can begin to identify and heal breaches in trust from the past.

Taking new clients. I am passionate about your personal growth and helping you identify and achieve your life goals. I use attachment theory, somatic awareness, mindfulness techniques, and a polyvagal framework to help you identify your thoughts and feelings. Once we name it, then we tame it! We will work to increase understanding, coping skills, and focus through the exploration of your unique story.

Available Tuesdays 1PM Bristol/virtual and Wednesdays 9.30AM Burlington/virtual: I work with children, teens, families, and adults who are ready to heal from trauma and build healthy relationships. As a Queer therapist, I support marginalized people to build self-worth and live with a greater sense of wellbeing amidst systems that undermine our inherent value. Working with me is like having a guide for you, your child, and partner(s) in building more loving and liberating relationships with yourself and others. With adults and teens, I utilize an evidence-based modality based in neuroscience called Brainspotting to heal trauma.

For the past 25 years I have worked with a wide range of clients ranging from children and adolescents to older adults. I have a post graduate degree in family therapy from the Ackerman Institute in New York City, the most respected family therapy training program in the country. Currently I work with folks 17 - 80 and particularly enjoy marriage counseling. I've helped individuals struggling with depression, anger issues, anxiety and the effects of past trauma.

You might be struggling with difficult emotions, stressed by the demands of life, or stuck in painful cycles in your relationships. You sense you could be more connected to yourself, to others, and to the deeper purpose of your life. Maybe you've tried to make things better on your own, but you sense that with the right kind of support you could thrive in new ways in your relationships, and in other areas of your life. You're on the edge of growing into something new.

I believe therapy is about collaboration, working together to discover and explore your strengths and find your unique story. I offer a caring and non-judgmental space where you’ll feel heard as you move toward achieving your personal goals. I’ve been working as a school counselor in Vermont with families in crisis and these past few years have been especially tough due to the pandemic, impacting our youth profoundly. Having witnessed this firsthand within the school system, I was inspired to start my own practice.

Psychotherapy is both an art and a science. I believe that my strength as a psychotherapist is that I am informed equally by my theoretical foundation as well as my creativity and intuition. The first part of my theoretical foundation is drawn from insight-oriented theories. I'm interested in how the interplay of your history and personality has contributed to your current concerns. The process of learning about and accepting who you are contributes to your healing. Through gentle and direct exploration and encouragement I will guide you toward self- awareness and compassionate self -acceptance.

Psychotherapy is a collaboration that exists within a trusted, safe relationship. I will work with you to become more self-compassionate and find the place within you that is well. We can develop a relationship in which you begin to notice internal cues and explore your authentic self. We will notice your strengths and find ways to build on positive emotions in therapy together, and safely increase your felt sense which leads to healing from past traumas. We will work together to see beyond diagnosis and explore the human experience. In addition to being a VT licensed psychotherapist, I am also a Board Certified Art Therapist.

Therapy can be as much about finding more ease and joy in one's life as it is about reducing symptoms and suffering. Self-limiting cognitive, behavioral, emotional and sensorimotor (gestures/postures) tendencies often stand in the way of fully engaging in relationships (with self/others) and in the present moment. Bringing non-judgmental attention and awareness to these patterns allows us the freedom to replace re-activity with mindful responding. I work with adults seeking assistance with issues of anxiety, depression, stress management, trauma grief/loss and interpersonal/relational challenges.

It's often difficult to reach out for help when you most need it, and it can be hard to speak with someone you've never met about personal issues. On the other hand, it can be easier to do with a person who is a trained, neutral professional. I can be objective and understanding in a way that well-meaning friends and family often cannot. My work with couples, individual adults including seniors, or the younger population, begins in a friendly, professional manner whereby we move towards knowing each other better. A rapport between us is essential in accomplishing our work.

Feeling stuck in a life that is unfulfilling, repeating patterns or habits that don't serve your well-being and relationships right now, overwhelmed by life’s responsibilities and the tides of our rapidly changing world, or having trouble letting go of painful parts of the past? We all occasionally need help to clearly see ourselves and find new ways to live better lives.

I specialize in working with adults and emerging adults from diverse racial, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. I accept clients who struggle to find competent care due to the overall inadequate support in mental health for individuals who occupy marginalized identity positions. I bring to my practice both deep knowledge about many socio-cultural factors and power dynamics that can profoundly affect a person's lived experiences, as well as deep humility about the limits of my knowledge. I use traditional talk therapy and EMDR -- an integrative therapy that uses a body-based technique called bilateral stimulation.