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!
The Reality of the Cliff and the Comfort of Community
As the parent of a 17-year-old with autism, I have four more years before being faced with The Cliff. The cliff is a time of reckoning for many families who have a child on the autism spectrum. You come to this cliff when your child turns 21, and he or she ages...
Stop Making Sense (Or “Feppy”): Opening The Doors Of Curiosity
When it comes to my son, who has autism spectrum disorder, I feel like I’m always navigating two paths simultaneously. On the one hand, I’m in project mode, eager to help him learn new skills. But when I am overly attached to therapy goals, I risk treating my...
Losing—And Finding—My ID
I was having dinner with a friend who came in from out of town, and he described a harrowing experience at the airport. It seems my friend had somehow taken his wife’s license instead of his own to security. Fortunately, he was able to explain how he got the...
Grateful In The New Year
With January just beginning, my thoughts turn to the clean canvas of a new year and ways I can make 2015 even better than the year that has just passed. My resolutions, especially when it comes to being the mother of a child with autism, usually stem from a...
Lions And Tigers And … Playgrounds … Oh My (The Invisible Struggles Of Parenting On The Spectrum)
A few years after my son was diagnosed with autism, and I was in the thick of his early intervention treatment, his behavior therapist said something to me that still brings tears of gratitude to my eyes. I had taken my son to her office, the first appointment...
In Praise Of Laziness
I don’t think there is a word more laden with negativity than the descriptor, “lazy.” As a culture, we are allergic to that word. And I have to admit that when I am beating myself up about the way I parent my son with autism, that is a word that comes to mind....
Learning To Love The Dandelions
I’ve been preoccupied lately (some would say obsessed) with thoughts about my son’s future. In six short years, he will be 21, an age that strikes terror into the heart of anyone who has a child with special needs. Services like physical and speech therapy, and...
Acceptance And Change: The Challenge For Parents
About ten years ago, I had the opportunity to hear a speech by Temple Grandin, an icon in the world of autism. She holds a Ph.D., and is an expert in animal behavior, as well as an advocate for those on the spectrum. I don’t remember details from her talk, but...
Mind The Gap: Helping Our Other Children Survive And Thrive
Recently, I got a text message from my daughter, who was away at college. She told me that she was listening to a panel of young adults with Asperger’s syndrome discuss their relationships with their families. She heard them express some resentment towards...
The Possibilities Illuminated In The Dark
What is it about worry and the middle of the night? I am a fairly frequent visitor to what a friend calls 3 a.m. meetings. I don’t recommend them and you should consider yourself lucky if you are not familiar with them. A troublesome thought will come to me,...
Surviving and Thriving with Grandparents: An appreciation
Grandparents can truly be the unsung heroes for parents who have a child with special needs.
Adventures In Equanimity: It’s not the end of the world, it’s only break dancing
I realize that when I am not in a place of equanimity, my vision and perspective are distorted. I miss really seeing my son, and learning what his behavior is trying to teach me.