Psychotherapy for resilience and wellbeing

A resource for parents and grandparents of children with special needs

Welcome to my practice!

Individual, couples and family therapy

When you struggle with trauma or loss, or you are trapped in the narrow trenches of depression or anxiety, it is no small thing just to survive. I believe that each person has unique gifts to offer the world, and the seeds of those gifts are often found in the struggles that they find themselves in. Therapy allows you to move from merely surviving to thriving, freeing you to bring yourself fully to your relationships, your work, and your life.

I have enormous respect for the courage it takes to be in therapy. It is important to me to create a space where you feel fully seen. I view my role as a guide and mentor in the therapy journey, helping to shine a light on the possibilities that are there within you to live a more satisfying life.

Support for families of children with special needs

When you become a parent, you give birth to all sorts of expectations. Learning that your child has special needs is like putting a pin into this bubble of expectations. You can feel a sense of shock, disappointment and fear, and might have doubts about your ability to parent your child. Your relationship with our partner and with our other children can become more strained. You might isolate ourselves from other parents, because you might feel that they can’t really appreciate what you’re going through.

You have even less time for yourself. And when you aren’t feeling balanced, it’s even harder to be there for your child.

Surviving and Thriving puts the focus on you, the parent, because when you are thriving, your children will benefit as well. We invite you to find support and inspiration in our workshops and support groups. We also provide coaching as well as individual, couples and family therapy. We also provide support for other members of the family, including grandparents!

Remembering to Pause: Finding ease in the middle of effort

Remembering to Pause: Finding ease in the middle of effort

Summertime is synonymous with ease, with lazing by the pool, going to the beach and enjoying cold drinks on a sweltering day. But when you are the parent of a special needs child, ease isn’t exactly the word you would pick to describe your experience. There always...

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Being a Beginner on the Bus

Being a Beginner on the Bus

The worst part of this experience was that I couldn’t give myself permission to be a beginner, to be OK with not knowing what to do. Instead, my anxiety grew with every mistake I made. The ironic part is that, as Noah’s parent, I have been in countless situations like that bus ride.

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Helicopter Parenting and Autism

Helicopter Parenting and Autism

These days, as I try to envision an independent life for my adult son with autism, I am aware of two battling impulses inside me. On one side is the knowledge that I need to step back, to allow Noah to experience the world in his own way. But on the other side is a constant vigilance, the helicopter parent part of me that is always ready to intervene.

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Getting Lost at the DMV

  Recognizing ambivalent loss and making way for compassion The other day I took my son, Noah, over to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get his picture taken for a new ID card. It is no one’s idea of a good time, but we had the day off and it was something...

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My Son The Music Man

My Son The Music Man

  I was recently talking to someone about my son, Noah, who has autism. And at the end of our conversation, she said, "He is the best teacher you could ever have." I am still learning all the ways that this is true. Noah is constantly helping me recognize how...

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When You Feel Like You Are Out There All Alone

When You Feel Like You Are Out There All Alone

  I am no stranger to the stress that comes hand in hand with parenting a child on the autism spectrum. After 19 years of parenting my son, I've become better at knowing when stress has the upper hand and I need to take care of myself. This doesn't mean that I...

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A Few Good Things: Moments in Gratitude

A Few Good Things: Moments in Gratitude

  I don’t think of myself as a glass-half-empty kind of person, but I have to admit that when my mind is free to wander, it is usually occupied with what is wrong. As the parent of a son with autism, I find I have lots of material. These days, I am trying to have...

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Business-Casual Thursday. And Leaving “Comparison Land.”

Business-Casual Thursday. And Leaving “Comparison Land.”

  I’m in line in the supermarket, leafing through a magazine, and I see an advertisement for something I just have to have. It is the newest coffeemaker, one that makes espresso with more steam pressure than a locomotive. And suddenly, the reliable coffeemaker I...

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