How I work / Momentum Philosophy

No single therapeutic approach works for every person, every relationship, or every problem.

I use an integrative approach to therapy, which means we may draw from different evidence-based methods depending on what you're experiencing, what we're working toward, and what is most helpful for you.

Whether I'm working with an individual or a couple, the process generally begins in the same place:

Understanding what's happening now, exploring what may be contributing to it, and identifying what can help create movement.

Before we can decide what needs to change, we need to understand what's happening.

That may include your current concerns, relationships, emotions, behaviors, stressors, strengths, and the patterns that keep showing up in your life.

For couples, this also means looking at what happens between you—particularly the cycles that leave both partners feeling misunderstood, disconnected, defensive, or stuck.

The past isn't the only explanation for what happens today, but it often provides important context.

We may explore significant relationships, attachment experiences, trauma, family dynamics, beliefs, coping strategies, and experiences that influenced how you learned to protect yourself, connect with others, manage emotions, or respond when you feel threatened or vulnerable.

Understanding where a pattern came from isn't about assigning blame.

It's about making the pattern understandable enough that you can begin changing it.

Insight matters, but insight alone isn't always enough.

Therapy also involves practicing different responses, developing skills, challenging beliefs, processing difficult experiences, communicating differently, setting boundaries, tolerating uncomfortable emotions, and experimenting with new ways of relating to yourself and others.

Sometimes progress is significant and obvious.

Sometimes it's noticing the pattern a little sooner than you did before.

Both are movement.

I don't expect every client to respond to therapy in the same way.

Some people benefit from structure and concrete strategies. Others need space to process experiences and understand themselves more deeply. Trauma may require a different approach than anxiety. Couples work requires attention to both individuals as well as the relationship between them.

Your therapy can evolve as your needs change.

Depending on your needs and goals, I may incorporate approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and other trauma-informed and relationship-focused interventions.

You don't need to know which approach you need before beginning therapy.

That's part of my job.

My role is to understand what you're experiencing, determine which approaches may be useful, explain what we're doing and why, and adjust our work as we learn what helps you move forward.

It's about understanding where you are, recognizing what's keeping you stuck, and finding a way forward that makes sense for you.