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My Approach

Santa Ynez Valley Therapy prioritizes your goals with client-centered counseling. Our work together leads to real, positive change. That’s why I don’t believe in a “one-size-fits-all” model. Together, we’ll zoom out to see what’s really happening in your life and relationships, identify patterns, and create practical strategies you can actually use. We’ll explore what’s holding you back from your goals and check in regularly to measure progress.

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Therapy can be challenging, but the work we do together will have a lasting impact. I will always be transparent with you and encourage you to do the same, because the therapist relationship is a sacred one. I honor my clients’ time, effort, and hard work.

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My approach is about understanding your internal and relational systems, helping you gain clarity, and giving you tools to move forward — not just new concepts and skills, but strategies you can apply in everyday life.

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Mind/Body Connection

Our minds and our bodies are intimately intertwined. We cannot treat one without addressing the other. I take both a cognitive behavioral and somatic (soma means body) approach to therapy.  Learning tools to help regulate your nervous system, can lead to better mental and physical health, improved relationships and a more fulfilling life.

Integrated

As stated above, there is no "one-size-fits-all" model that works for everyone. We are all unique individuals with unique experiences and surroundings. By taking a holistic approach, I use a combination of modalities in my practice and pride myself in extensive training and experience using all of these approaches.

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • Somatic Therapy

  • Nonviolent Communication

  • Developmental Model (The Couples Institute)

  • Multicultural

  • Solution-focused

  • Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB)

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

  • Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT)

  • Narrative Therapy

  • Emotionally-focused therapy

  • Motivational Interviewing

  • Pain Reprocessing Therapy

  • Parts Work

  • Attachment-based

  • Exposure and Response Prevention

  • See additional Couples Therapy approaches below

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Relational

We don't exist in a bubble. No matter our social nature (e.g. introverted or extroverted; social or isolated) we are influenced by our interactions with other people. As humans, we are built for connection (literally, our brains are built to relate to others). Without connection we cannot thrive. By taking a relational view of life, we are able to explore patterns; to learn new skills that improve both our life and the lives of those around us.

 

As Terry Real of Relational Life Institute says: "Nothing is more important in our lives than our relationships. A great relationship boosts your immune system, opens your heart, and keeps you vital and creative.

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Integrated Approach: The Couples Institute, Relational Life Institute, Gottman, Emotionally-Focused Couples Therapy, Esther Perel, Tammy Nelson (Integrative Sex & Couples Therapy), Nonviolent Communication

The Big Picture

Similar to my relational approach to therapy, I always look at life and relationships with a systemic lens. This means I look at how our surroundings, past and present, impact our current experiences. We are all affected by our society's culture, our families of origin, past generations, and much more. If we just look at ourselves in isolation, we cannot possibly address the reality of our situation.

 

Think about how you act, feel or think when alone. Now think about how you act, feel or think around others. It varies with each person or group. This is just one example of  why looking at entire systems is so important.

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 “A major contributor to the genesis of many diseases... is an overload of stress induced by unconscious beliefs. If we would heal, it is essential to begin the painfully incremental task of reversing the biology of belief we adopted very early in life. Whatever external treatment is administered, the healing agent lies within. The internal milieu must be changed. To find health, and to know it fully, necessitates a quest, a journey to the center of our own biology of belief. That means rethinking and recognizing—re-cognizing: literally, to “know again”—our lives.”

-Gabor Maté

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