Starting therapy can feel vulnerable. You may be feeling overwhelmed, uncertain, or unsure where to begin, or wondering whether therapy will actually help. Many people worry about being judged, misunderstood, or pushed toward solutions that don’t fit. Others arrive feeling stuck, exhausted, or carrying distress they’ve been managing on their own for a long time.
We believe therapy should be a supportive, respectful space where you feel heard and taken seriously. Our approach is grounded in kindness, collaboration, and care, while also being thoughtful, structured, and evidence-based. We aim to meet you where you are, understand what has shaped your experience, and work together toward meaningful and sustainable change.
Therapy is not about fixing you or forcing progress. It is about building understanding, developing tools, and creating space for growth at a pace that feels manageable. Whether you are seeking relief from specific symptoms or looking for deeper clarity and self-understanding, our work emphasizes compassion, flexibility, and respect for your autonomy.
While we draw from many evidence-based approaches, therapy itself is not technical, scripted, or rigid. At its core, therapy is a thoughtful, supportive conversation focused on understanding your experiences, patterns, and goals.
You are not expected to know or choose a specific therapy model. You won’t be asked to “do therapy right” or master techniques. The approaches described on this page reflect how we think about problems and guide treatment decisions behind the scenes, not how sessions feel moment to moment.
In practice, therapy often involves:
Some sessions may be more reflective, while others are more skills-focused or goal-oriented. We adjust collaboratively, with ongoing attention to comfort, readiness, and trust.
No single approach works for every concern. Different difficulties are maintained by different patterns, and effective therapy often involves combining understanding, skill-building, and experiential work.
Our approach is guided by several core principles:
This framework allows us to tailor therapy across a wide range of concerns, including Anxiety and Stress, Depression, OCD, Panic Attacks, Trauma and PTSD, ADHD, Addictions, Phobias, Bipolar Disorder, and across many areas of support such as relationships, family issues, life transitions, and personal growth.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on the relationship between thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and behaviors. Many forms of distress are maintained not because something is inherently wrong, but because certain thinking and behavior patterns developed over time in response to stress, fear, or difficult experiences.
In sessions, CBT often looks like slowing things down and examining recent situations together. We explore what went through your mind, how your body responded, and what actions followed. This process is collaborative and conversational, helping identify patterns that may be increasing distress and experimenting with more flexible ways of responding.
CBT helps by increasing awareness and choice. Over time, people often feel less controlled by anxiety, mood, or habits and more confident in their ability to cope and respond intentionally.
This work may include:
CBT is integrated across much of our work, including Anxiety and Stress, Depression, Panic Attacks, OCD, Phobias, ADHD, Life Stressors, Self-Esteem and Identity, Addictions, and many relationship- and transition-related concerns.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy focuses on changing how people relate to thoughts and emotions rather than trying to eliminate them. Many people struggle not only with difficult feelings, but with the effort to control, suppress, or avoid those experiences. ACT helps reduce that struggle.
In sessions, ACT often involves noticing thoughts and emotions with curiosity rather than judgment. We explore how internal experiences show up, how much energy goes into fighting them, and what life might look like if those struggles loosened. ACT also places strong emphasis on values and meaningful action.
ACT helps by increasing psychological flexibility. Instead of waiting to feel better before living fully, people learn how to move toward what matters even when discomfort is present.
This work may include:
ACT is integrated across Anxiety and Stress, Depression, OCD, Trauma, Self-Esteem and Identity, Gender and Sexual Identity, Life Transitions, and Personal Growth.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy provides practical tools for managing intense emotions, reducing reactivity, and improving relationships. Many people struggle when emotions escalate quickly or feel overwhelming in the moment, even when they understand what they want long-term.
In sessions, DBT-informed work focuses on increasing awareness of emotional patterns and building skills that can be used in real-life situations. Skills are introduced collaboratively and practiced in ways that feel applicable rather than rigid or scripted.
DBT helps by supporting emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and effective communication, leading to greater stability and improved relationships over time.
This work may include:
DBT-informed skills are used across Anger Management, Life Stressors, Relationships, Parenting Support, Addictions, and mood-related concerns.
Exposure therapy is used when fear or anxiety is maintained by avoidance. While avoidance can reduce distress in the short term, it teaches the brain that certain situations, sensations, or thoughts are dangerous. Exposure helps the nervous system relearn safety through experience.
In sessions, exposure work is carefully planned and collaborative. We talk openly about fears, expectations, and concerns, and decide together what to approach and at what pace. Exposure is never about forcing or overwhelming; it is about building confidence gradually.
Exposure helps by allowing anxiety to rise and fall naturally without escape or safety behaviors. Over time, fear responses decrease and confidence increases.
This work may include:
real-life exposure to feared situations or objects
working with feared scenarios or catastrophic expectations through imagination
approaching feared physical sensations such as dizziness, shortness of breath, or a racing heart
Exposure therapy is commonly used in Phobias, Panic Attacks, OCD, and Anxiety and Stress, and may also be integrated into trauma-related work when appropriate.
Exposure and Response Prevention is a specialized form of exposure therapy used primarily to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCD is maintained by a cycle of intrusive thoughts, anxiety, and compulsive behaviors meant to reduce distress.
In sessions, ERP involves identifying obsessions, compulsions, and reassurance-seeking behaviors. Exposure focuses on approaching triggers, while response prevention involves reducing or eliminating compulsive responses. The work is collaborative and paced carefully.
ERP helps by reducing the urgency of compulsions and increasing tolerance for uncertainty. Over time, obsessions become less distressing and daily life feels more flexible and self-directed.
This work may include:
ERP is a core component of our work with OCD and may also be integrated into treatment for other anxiety-related concerns involving compulsive avoidance.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy is a trauma-focused approach designed to help individuals process traumatic experiences that continue to evoke fear, avoidance, or emotional distress.
In sessions, this work involves carefully revisiting traumatic memories and gradually re-engaging with avoided situations. The pace is intentional and grounded in safety, stabilization, and readiness.
Prolonged Exposure helps reduce trauma-related fear and avoidance, allowing memories to become less emotionally overwhelming and more integrated.
This work may include:
Prolonged Exposure is used thoughtfully within Trauma and PTSD treatment, alongside regulation and stabilization strategies.
Cognitive Processing Therapy is a trauma-focused treatment that addresses how traumatic experiences shape beliefs about safety, trust, control, and self-worth.
In sessions, CPT focuses on identifying and examining trauma-related beliefs that may be contributing to distress. Rather than reliving trauma, the emphasis is on understanding meaning and perspective.
CPT helps reduce guilt, shame, and self-blame while supporting a more balanced and compassionate understanding of the traumatic experience.
This work may include:
CPT is integrated into Trauma and PTSD care when appropriate and aligned with readiness.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy focuses on understanding how past experiences, emotional patterns, and relational dynamics shape current thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Many people notice that certain struggles repeat over time, even when they logically understand what they “should” do. Psychodynamic work helps make sense of those patterns rather than simply trying to override them.
In sessions, this approach often looks like reflective conversation. We pay attention to emotional reactions, recurring themes, and relationship dynamics, including how patterns may show up in therapy itself. The goal is not to dwell on the past, but to understand how earlier experiences continue to influence the present.
Psychodynamic therapy helps by increasing insight and self-awareness. As patterns become clearer, people often experience greater emotional flexibility, improved relationships, and a stronger sense of agency and self-understanding.
This work may include:
Psychodynamic work is integrated across many areas of therapy, including Relationships, Family Issues, Self-Esteem and Identity, Depression, Anxiety and Stress, Personal Growth, and long-standing emotional or relational concerns.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy focuses on the connection between emotional well-being and relationships. Emotional distress often intensifies during periods of conflict, loss, or major life changes. IPT helps people understand how interpersonal stress affects mood and how changes in relationships can support emotional stability.
In sessions, IPT involves examining current relationships rather than analyzing personality or history in depth. We focus on communication patterns, role expectations, and sources of interpersonal stress, with the goal of improving connection and reducing emotional strain.
IPT helps by strengthening communication, increasing social support, and reducing isolation. As relationships become clearer and more supportive, mood and emotional well-being often improve.
This work may include:
IPT is commonly used in work with Depression, Relationships, Family Issues, Life Transitions, Grief and Loss, and other concerns where emotional distress is closely tied to interpersonal experiences.
Narrative therapy focuses on how people make meaning of their experiences and the stories they carry about themselves. Difficult life events, trauma, or chronic stress can shape rigid or self-critical narratives that limit how people see themselves and their possibilities.
In sessions, narrative work involves exploring these stories with curiosity and care. We work to separate the person from the problem, examine where certain narratives came from, and create space for alternative, more empowering ways of understanding experience.
Narrative therapy helps by restoring agency and flexibility in identity. As stories shift, people often feel less defined by past experiences and more able to move forward with clarity and self-trust.
This work may include:
Narrative approaches are commonly integrated into work with Trauma and PTSD, Grief and Loss, Gender and Sexual Identity, Self-Esteem and Identity, and Personal Growth.
Existential psychotherapy focuses on questions of meaning, purpose, identity, responsibility, and choice. Many people seek therapy not because of a specific diagnosis, but because they feel lost, disconnected, or uncertain about direction in life.
In sessions, existential work often involves open, reflective dialogue. We explore values, beliefs, and the emotional weight of choice and uncertainty. This approach does not provide answers, but helps people clarify what matters most and how they want to live.
Existential therapy helps by supporting authenticity and meaning-making. As values become clearer, people often experience greater direction, agency, and acceptance of life’s uncertainties.
This work may include:
Existential approaches are often integrated into therapy for Life Transitions, Grief and Loss, Personal Growth, Self-Esteem and Identity, and identity-related concerns.
Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative, nonjudgmental approach that helps people explore ambivalence about change. Many individuals feel torn between wanting something to be different and feeling hesitant, stuck, or unsure how to move forward. MI respects that ambivalence rather than pushing past it.
In sessions, MI looks like careful listening and guided reflection. We explore what matters to you, what feels hard about change, and what internal motivations already exist. The focus is on strengthening your own reasons for change rather than imposing goals or advice.
MI helps by increasing clarity, reducing shame, and supporting self-directed change. When people feel understood rather than pressured, they are more likely to move forward in ways that feel sustainable and aligned with their values.
This work may include:
Motivational Interviewing is a core component of our work with Addictions and Compulsive Behaviors, and is also integrated into Life Transitions, Health-related Stress, Depression, and situations involving uncertainty or ambivalence about next steps.
Relapse prevention focuses on supporting long-term change rather than short-term control. Change is rarely linear, and setbacks do not mean failure. Relapse prevention helps people understand patterns that increase vulnerability and develop strategies to respond early and effectively.
In sessions, relapse prevention involves examining triggers, emotional states, and environmental factors that contribute to returning behaviors. We work collaboratively to build awareness, plan for high-risk situations, and strengthen coping strategies that support stability over time.
Relapse prevention helps by reducing all-or-nothing thinking and increasing resilience. Instead of responding to slips with shame or escalation, people learn how to respond with awareness, self-compassion, and course correction.
This work may include:
Relapse prevention is integrated into treatment for Addictions and Compulsive Behaviors, and may also support work related to Anxiety, Depression, Life Stressors, and periods of increased vulnerability.
Social skills development focuses on improving communication, assertiveness, and interpersonal effectiveness. Difficulties in social interaction often contribute to anxiety, avoidance, conflict, or low self-confidence, even when people are capable and insightful.
In sessions, social skills work often involves slowing down interactions and practicing new ways of responding. We focus on real-life situations and build skills that feel natural rather than scripted. Practice is collaborative and grounded in your actual relationships and environments.
Social skills development helps by increasing confidence, reducing social anxiety, and improving connection. As communication becomes clearer and more effective, relationships often feel less stressful and more satisfying.
This work may include:
Social skills development is often integrated into therapy for Anxiety and Stress, Social Anxiety, ADHD, Relationships, Self-Esteem and Identity, and Life Stressors.
Strengths identification focuses on recognizing existing capacities, resilience, and values rather than focusing only on difficulties. Many people enter therapy with a strong awareness of what isn’t working but limited awareness of what they already do well.
In sessions, strengths-based work involves identifying skills, coping strategies, values, and past successes that may have gone unnoticed or been minimized. This is not about forced positivity, but about building a more balanced and accurate self-understanding.
Strengths identification helps by increasing confidence, motivation, and self-trust. When people recognize their own capabilities, change feels more achievable and sustainable.
This work may include:
Strengths identification is integrated across nearly all areas of therapy, including Depression, Anxiety and Stress, Addictions, Personal Growth, Self-Esteem and Identity, and recovery-oriented work.
Grief processing supports individuals in making space for loss while continuing to engage with life. Grief is not limited to death and can arise from relationship endings, life transitions, identity changes, or unmet expectations.
In sessions, grief work involves creating space for emotions that may feel confusing, overwhelming, or contradictory. We move at your pace, honoring both the pain of loss and the need to continue living meaningfully.
Grief processing helps by reducing isolation and allowing grief to be integrated rather than avoided. Over time, people often experience greater acceptance, emotional relief, and a renewed sense of connection.
This work may include:
Grief processing is central to Grief and Loss therapy and may also be integrated into Trauma and PTSD, Life Transitions, Depression, and other experiences involving loss or change.
Safety planning is an important part of ethical mental health care during periods of increased risk or emotional instability. The goal is to support safety while maintaining respect, autonomy, and collaboration.
In sessions, safety planning is approached thoughtfully and without alarm. We focus on understanding warning signs, identifying supports, and developing strategies that help reduce risk during difficult moments.
Safety planning helps by increasing preparedness and reducing fear around intense emotions. Having a plan in place can support stability and confidence during vulnerable periods.
This work may include:
Safety planning may be used in work with Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Trauma, Addictions, and other periods of acute distress when clinically appropriate.
Psychoeducation involves understanding what is happening in the mind and body. Many people feel less afraid and less ashamed when they understand why certain symptoms or reactions occur.
In sessions, psychoeducation is woven naturally into conversation. We explain concepts in clear, accessible language and connect them directly to your lived experience rather than abstract theory.
Psychoeducation helps by increasing clarity, reducing self-blame, and supporting active participation in therapy. Understanding patterns often makes change feel more manageable and less mysterious.
This work may include:
Psychoeducation is woven throughout therapy across all conditions and areas of support.
Therapy is not limited to a fixed set of techniques. People and circumstances change, and effective therapy adapts accordingly. We integrate approaches thoughtfully based on individual needs, goals, and progress.
In practice, this means therapy evolves over time. We may shift emphasis, combine methods, or adjust pacing as new insights emerge or circumstances change.
This integrative approach helps ensure therapy remains responsive, relevant, and aligned with what is most helpful for you at each stage.
This work may include:
Integrative work supports all conditions and areas of support we treat.
