SPECIALTIES

ECOTHERAPY

Nature is considered a remarkable resource for healing and can help decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression. Connecting with nature can provide unique opportunities to explore your connection with self and the world around you. It is often called a “therapeutic partner” in the counseling field. Ecotherapy is the practice of incorporating the natural world into therapy. Ecotherapy can have many applications, at times it may look like sessions in a park, while on a walk, or it may be assignments between session that are geared towards interaction with nature or reflections on metaphors involving self and nature. Other times it may be more outdoor adventure based. Getting outside can help to shift perspective and tap into your resiliency! Themes of building distress tolerance and noticing how your body holds stress are just some of the ways ecotherapy can work.

EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched. Though often connected to the treatment of trauma, it is a method that has proven effective for the treatment of a broad range of psychological, emotional, and physiological issues. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches. It can assist in the alleviation of symptoms and disturbances related to individuals’ pasts and current lives. One of the main benefits of EMDR = it links the “maladaptive” neural networks to the “adaptive” neural networks, so that frozen or stuck memories can link up to new information and healing can take place.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Interventions

These are research-based therapies that offer brief behavioral interventions that you can take home with you from a session and practice in your daily life. We will practice some of these in session so that you can utilize them any time you need to assist you with your wellness.

Behavioral Activation

Behavioral activation is an approach to mental health that involves someone using behaviors to influence their emotional state. It is often a part of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), but it can also be a standalone treatment.

Most research into behavioral activation has focused on its effect on depression. This is because people with depression often lose interest in activities they used to enjoy or no longer find pleasure in their hobbies.

A loss of interest in one’s hobbies can intensify the symptoms of depression, particularly if the person stops activities that were meaningful, that helped them maintain social connections, or that bolstered their self-esteem. Behavioral activation encourages people to engage in “antidepressant behaviors” to counter this.

Mental Health First Aid & Psychological First Aid for Groups

I am certified in teaching Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) to specific groups including first responders (Fire, Law Enforcement, EMS) and the general adult population. For those trained in Wilderness Medicine, the MHFA curriculum is appropriate and/or combined with more specialized Psychological First Aid content that can be tailored to your specific requests/skills/experience.