About Vanessa (she/her)
I've been practicing for 15 years and began with a focus in domestic violence and providing support and advocacy to women in a residential domestic violence shelter. I loved it and volunteered in my off time while I was a student in my undergrad. My first 'real' job was as the only clinician in a nonprofit agency for domestic violence victims, for both men and women. I also worked as a social worker in the hospital system, both inpatient and primarily in the ER. Longing for working individually and longer term, I joined a group practice in 2016 and started my own private practice in 2017.
My ideal individual client is one who has had to be resilient, maybe even a little over-resilient and is tired and wants to live "normally" without hyper vigilance, constant anxiety, or feeling like they're a burden. I don't feel burdened by clients, I feel chosen. Chosen to walk a path with them, and learn the story through the eyes of the person. Whether they need human warmth, validation, a venting space, a place to cry, or just be heard and seen, that is where I seek to be first. Right where the client is at.
My ideal couple is one that has the desire to learn to be better for each other. Couples who are exasperated and out of ideas of how to change stuck patterns and feelings is my forte. I love to dig into the roots of the relationship as well as both individuals and help discover what gets in the way of love, affection, and connectedness. I have been able to pass on new tools that help partners communicate differently and learn more about each other than they knew before and use that to make conflicts more productive and peaceful and heartfelt. When it happens in session, it is not uncommon that I can be brought to tears by it. I am passionate about helping couples reconnect and find better ways at being a loving partner.
I was led into this profession because of my compassion and empathy for the human struggle and experience. I make every effort to provide a warm, accepting, nonjudgmental, and confidential environment for everyone. I want to understand you and your needs and assist you in navigating through life's difficulties.
Above all, I want you to feel safe in processing the issues that are affecting you.
THIS is your safe place.
I have completed training levels 1, 2 and 3 in the Gottman Method of Couples Therapy.
Interested in this type of therapy and want to learn more? Check out the link below.
www.gottman.com/about/the-gottman-method/
Other methods I have been formally trained in:
EMDR I
Level 1 Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Level 1 and 2 Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, a somatic method that seeks to understand and treat the body's response to distress, both past and present, that affect our functioning.
Interested in this type of therapy and want to learn more? Check out the link below.
www.gottman.com/about/the-gottman-method/
Other methods I have been formally trained in:
EMDR I
Level 1 Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Level 1 and 2 Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, a somatic method that seeks to understand and treat the body's response to distress, both past and present, that affect our functioning.
Clients often ask about including medication as part of their therapy regimen or about alternatives to medications. While I do not prescribe medicine, I offer referrals to appropriate professionals that provide these services.