How I Work
My approach to therapy relies strongly on two principles. First, I prefer to use models that have been shown to be effective. Second, one of my primary goals is to teach my clients how to become their own therapists so that they will be able to cope with what life throws their way long after the therapy has concluded. For these reasons, I primarily work through a CBT lens, specifically, using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and schema therapy.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
One core tenet of ACT is values work. My initial approach often involves helping my clients explore their core values and identify how these can be applied to their lives. Throughout my clinical work, I rely heavily on my own personal values of perseverance, genuineness, advocacy, and love, as a means to not only model authenticity, but as a way to support my clients during the often difficult process of therapy.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
DBT posits that people are doing the best they can and if they are struggling it is because they did not learn the basic tools and skills they needed from their care takers in childhood. I enjoy teaching people tools and skills to regulate their emotions, be effective in their daily lives, and get their needs met.
Family Based Therapy (FBT)
FBT is the only evidence based treatment shown to be effective for children/teens with eating disorders. It involves parents taking back control of their child’s eating since their child has shown that they cannot be safe with their eating. I enjoy working with families to support their teens in their eating disorder recovery.
Schema Therapy
While values work and learning skills initiate behavioral change, schema therapy focuses on going deeper by helping clients understand their underlying core beliefs (schemas) that developed from unmet emotional needs in childhood. By both identifying the values they want to move toward and recognizing when their core schemas are being activated, clients are able to make behavioral choices that are in line with their values, rather than engaging in old patterns that no longer serve them.
Cultural Humility
From my first meeting with my clients, I look for opportunities to explore the many layers of their cultural identity. I recognize that when a client first meets me, they may see a White, well-educated woman from a privileged background. They don’t see that I am Mexican American and Jewish, and this contrast between how people perceive me and how I see myself is a strong reminder that there is so much more to all of us than what first meets the eye. Moreover, the way they see me—or don’t see me—impacts our therapeutic relationship, and vice versa. So I take the time to assess my clients’ diverse backgrounds and how they perceive themselves.