My Areas of Focus

I have experience working in the following areas:

  • Behavioral Issues
  • Career Counseling
  • Codependency
  • Coping Skills
  • Cultural Adjustment
  • Depression
  • Domestic Violence
  • Family Conflict
  • Grief
  • Infidelity
  • Life Coaching
  • Marital and Premarital Counseling
  • Relationship Issues
  • Self Esteem
  • Self-Harming
  • Sexual Abuse
  • Spirituality
  • Trauma and PTSD
  • Women’s Issues

In addition to these, I have several special areas of focus.

Body-Mind Connection

I practice forms of treatment that enable clients to listen to the messages of the body and to bring awareness, understanding, relief, and transformation to their lives. This happens through gentle touch and reflective listening in a safe, supportive environment.

Somatic therapy uses your body as the starting point, because your body is home to your thoughts, feelings, and your spirit. Touch heightens awareness both physically and emotionally and allows the exploration of levels of self-knowledge that are difficult to access through either talk or touch alone.

I have found that combining talk and somatic awareness can open doors into self-awareness and mind-body integration that would otherwise remain closed. Should you want to try a session with me, I would happy to talk to you more about this experiential method of therapy.

Caregiver Focus

Caregivers of mentally or physically ill family members or friends—even those who are separated by distance—have special challenges in maintaining their own well-being and health. It is difficult to actively practice the self-care that the experts advise for caregivers. At times, the skills for helping oneself stay in balance evaporate in the daily struggle to keep everything together. I have both personal and professional experience to understand the challenges of caregivers to find time and energy for their own needs.

Career Focus

For many years, I taught Career Planning and helped scores of people, particularly women, find their path to financial success and new accomplishments. I love the excitement of helping people explore their dreams and linking them to practical resources, drawing a map for how to get there. We will figure out what skills you need to build and address your barriers. As collaborators we will find creative ways to overcome limitations that have kept you from offering your talents to the world. Together we will bring clarity to your questions, where you feel stuck, and create a plan that is unique to you.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. It is widely assumed that severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal. EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma. Using the detailed protocols and procedures learned in EMDR therapy training sessions, clinicians help clients activate their natural healing processes. I was trained in this method by Linda Curran.

Immigrant and Refugee Focus

The immigrant experience is deeply ingrained in me, as I am a first-generation Russian-American and have worked for over twenty years as a cultural worker. By combining my immigrant family background with my professional expertise, I am able to help individuals and families with tools to cope with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, acculturation shock, and other issues. I am sensitive to the necessity of juggling cultural identities and managing cultural differences while meeting the expectations of community, family, and self. I will listen until I understand your needs and together we will find solutions that fit your life.