I specialize in working with adults who want to develop and express their full potential in life and with those who are struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma and attachment wounding. I also specialize in working with couples and you can find more information on my relationship work at my couples site www.relationshiptrip.com.

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Trauma - personal and collective along with attachment wounds are finally beginning to be understood as significant factors in struggles with mental health. Historically, the mental health field and the insurance industry has had a bias against trauma as a legitimate concern likely because it is complicated and not a "medical" issue that is treated through a medical model. Trauma can create changes in the brain that produce diagnosable symptoms like depression. Treating trauma from a symptom perspective is how we have had to manage the constraints of insurance reimbursement - and in some cases we have to continue to address trauma and attachment wounding from a symptoms perspective. The good news is that thanks to advancements in neuroscience, we know that because of brain plasticity, the brain can heal. My goal for myself and for everyone I work with, who wants to be on this journey, is to help facilitate the healing, growth and transformational change that allows us to reach our full potential and not stop at the level of managing symptoms and triggers. I prefer to help people heal and grow so the symptoms and triggers are no longer there, or are at least greatly diminished.

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In my career, I have primarily had my own private practice and I worked in various settings from family services, foster care, hospice, and family medicine as well as teaching social work and sociology at the undergraduate and graduate levels. I currently have a private practice in Maine and work with individuals and couples. I also provide training and consultation for clinicians looking to improve their work with their clients.

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I began my career in the late 1980's working with trauma in a psychiatric hospital where I helped to create a trauma program. The first trauma modality I learned was an ego-state approach created by David Grove called Metaphor Therapy. Metaphor Therapy is a beautiful way of addressing the uncomfortable body physiology and associated painful memories, emotions and negative beliefs. In Metaphor Therapy, we move the "ick" out of the body through the use of clean language with a focus on your internal experience to activate your body's innate wisdom and drive to heal.

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EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing was the next trauma modality that I learned. EMDR is wonderful for processing the frozen memories and negative beliefs that get stuck when a person is not able to process traumas that occur.

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In the mid-1990's I began studying relationship therapy and working with more couples. I trained in Imago Relationship Therapy which interestingly has a focus on healing unmet needs from childhood. It is a very powerful way for people to use the connection in their relationship to heal and grow.

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In the early to mid- 2000's I trained in and became certified in Clinical Hypnosis through the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. Hypnosis can be used to help symptom reduction and to support the positive movement you want to make in your life. Please Note: Many people want to "search for memories" with clinical hypnosis and I do not do that kind of work. I work from the understanding that the body, mind and psyche holds the wisdom to release the necessary information for healing and it can be detrimental to intentionally try to surface information.

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In 2013, I began learning and using the Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (DNMS) and it was a complete game changer. The DNMS is one of the therapy modalities that produces the deepest level of healing, growth and transformation that I have learned. It actually created quite a crisis for me because my prior experience was that couples work and healing in relationship created the deepest level of growth and transformation. I have since introduced the DNMS to many couples who are stuck in patterns that have threads going back to childhood. In 2019, I began training clinicians in the use of the DNMS.

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The Encounter-centered Couples Transformation 3 year Master Class with Hedy Schleifer, MA was my next adventure in training. To round out my couples training for the decade, I also had the opportunity in the mid to late 20-teens to study The Gottman Method Level 1 and The Developmental Model of Couples Therapy with Ellyn Bader Ph.D and Peter Pearson Ph.D. These modalities give me the ability to work with couples across the spectrum from attachment to differentiation so people can experience safety and agency in connection with each other as well as within themselves. I work with couples in therapy, intensives and workshops and I provide training and consultation for clinicians wanting to improve their skills in relationship therapy.

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In 2016, I began training with Dr. Diane Poole Heller in her Therapy Mastermind Circle which focuses on issues of attachment and trauma.

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In 2018, I trained in ART: Accelerated Resolution Therapy which I see as a bridge between EMDR and DNMS. ART is a trauma therapy that addresses the scene that runs in one's mind along with the uncomfortable body physiology. 

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I became a Certified Primordial Sound Meditation Teacher through the Chopra Center in early 2020, just before the Pandemic broke out. I utilize various mindfulness and meditation practices in my work with clients.

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In late 2018 and ever since, I have ventured outside the field of psychotherapy to train with voice coach, Roger Love. The sounds we make are so important for healthy and happy connection.  Most people think they are stuck with the voice they were born with and this is just not true. We can positively impact our own feeling state as well as the feeling state of others through developing our speaking voice and learning to use it to create the impact and connection we desire. In 2021 I was in the first cohort of Roger Love Method Certified Coaches for speaking voice.

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I have been fortunate to have a long and varied career in the field. I love learning and bringing new ideas and modalities to the people who work with me.