What do you value most in the therapeutic relationship?

‍

The therapeutic relationship is a unique experience for each client and clinician, making it one of the most meaningful and authentic relationships a person can have. Both the therapist’s and client’s personalities enter the therapeutic space, making each relationship distinctive, while the core elements of the therapeutic alliance remain consistent.

The therapeutic relationship promotes safety, vulnerability, and healing by allowing for the expression and exploration of varied thoughts and emotions. Throughout the therapeutic process, I value being who each client needs me to be on a session-to-session basis, while offering a consistent and safe connection that clients come to trust and appreciate.

The therapeutic relationship can also serve as a model for other interpersonal relationships throughout a client’s life. In therapy, clients can explore conflict, set and respect boundaries, learn about accountability, practice communication, and move toward more secure connections, knowing they will be met with acceptance and empathy.

The therapeutic relationship is a judgment-free space that values authenticity between two people, as I prioritize joining with clients and meeting them where they are.

‍

What do you want clients to know before their first session?

‍

I want clients to understand therapy as a process. Therapy is not linear, and one of the most important factors in healing is a strong therapeutic alliance. During our first session, my main focus is simply getting to know you as a whole person—not just your challenges or current mental health struggles. I like to offer that first session as a space for clients to get comfortable, share what feels most important to them, including their strengths and interests, and begin building a genuine connection with me in the therapeutic space. The deeper work will come, as I believe in a longer-term therapeutic relationship, but the first session is about connection, comfort, and rapport.

‍

How do you integrate different modalities to meet each client where they are?

‍

My approach to therapy is rooted in collaboration and empowerment. I believe in supporting clients as they work toward their goals while gaining insight into why they feel, think, and respond the way they do. I believe clients are their own vehicles for change, which is supported by my integrative approach.

An integrative, or eclectic approach to therapy, allows for the thoughtful interplay of multiple therapeutic modalities depending on a client’s current challenges and needs. For example, I may draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to identify and shift unhelpful thought patterns, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to reduce anxiety and avoidance, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to strengthen emotional regulation skills and frustration tolerance, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) to create movement toward goals, or Narrative Therapy to help clients externalize negative feelings and reframe the stories they hold about themselves.These approaches support clients in coping day to day, practicing mindfulness, engaging in self-regulation techniques, and building greater self-awareness around their behaviors and emotional responses.

However, I also believe therapeutic work is most transformative when these shorter-term, skills-based models are paired with modalities that have a psychodynamic underpinning. This deeper work supports clients in understanding the “why” behind the way they are, including insight into defense mechanisms, attachment styles, and familial patterns, and how these experiences have shaped who clients are today. There is a gentle and intentional interplay of all of these elements throughout the therapeutic process, always paired with psychoeducation. I believe knowledge is power, and when you understand yourself more fully, you are better able to become an active agent of change.