My Counseling Approach

Attachment & Brain-Based Therapy in Lakewood, Colorado

Virtual Therapy in Ohio

If you’ve ever experienced overwhelm, you’re probably human.

Hardship is an inevitable part of life. At times, stressors can exceed our capacity to cope, leaving us feeling anxious, stuck, burned out, or disconnected. And while humans are inherently resilient, there are moments when the weight of life feels like too much to carry alone.

Therapy is a space to restore balance—to help you regain a sense of stability, clarity, and direction when things feel uncertain.

Making Sense of Stress

I derive my conceptualization from the ABC-X model of family stress (McCubbin & Patterson, 1983), which helps explain why some experiences feel manageable while others lead to distress.

• A (Stressor): A life event or challenge

• B (Resources): Your internal and external supports (emotional skills, relationships, environment)

• C (Perception): How you interpret the situation

• X (Outcome): Whether the experience feels manageable or overwhelming

When stressors (A) outweigh your available resources (B) or when your internal narrative becomes self-critical or hopeless (C) — it can lead to cycles of distress (X).

Our work focuses on restoring balance by strengthening your internal resources, improving emotional regulation, and reshaping how you relate to your experiences—both internally and in your relationships.

Where Do Problems Come From?

All mental health struggles have a neurological basis.

Your brain’s primary role is to keep you safe. When stress becomes overwhelming, the brain can shift into protective states—such as fight, flight, or freeze. This can show up as anxiety, emotional reactivity, shutting down, or feeling stuck.

At the same time, the stories you tell about yourself shape how you experience the world. These narratives are often shaped by your early relationships—your attachment patterns—which influence how you connect with others, seek support, and respond to closeness, distance, or conflict.

When your internal narrative becomes critical or limiting, your brain begins to filter experiences through that lens—reinforcing feelings of inadequacy, fear, or disconnection.

Over time, this can create a cycle where:

• Your brain is trying to protect you

• But the strategies it uses no longer serve you

You’re not broken—and you’re not “doing it wrong.”

Your brain and body are doing exactly what they were designed to do.

The work is learning how to support your brain & body differently.

Can I Change?

Meaningful & lasting change often comes from restoring two key elements:

1. Competence — Building Skills, Resources, and Capacity

Before deeper change can occur, your brain needs a sense of safety and stability.

This includes strengthening your nervous system regulation, emotional awareness, and ability to stay present with your experiences.

This may involve:

• Processing emotions in a supported way

• Developing regulation and coping skills

• Releasing stored stress through both cognitive and somatic approaches

2. Confidence — Reframing Your Narrative & Inner Beliefs

As competency increases, the work often shifts toward how you see yourself and your life.

Past experiences—especially those involving hurt, loss, or invalidation—can shape beliefs such as:

• “I’m not enough”

• “I don’t have a choice”

• “Things won’t change”

Even when your circumstances shift, these narratives can remain.

Using principles from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and attachment-based work, we begin to:

• Recognize where you do have agency

• Release what is outside your control

• Create new experiences of safety and connection

• Develop a more secure and compassionate relationship with yourself

You don’t need to “earn” your worth. Part of the process is learning to care for yourself—and relate to others—in ways that foster security, trust, and emotional connection.

The Path Forward

I help adults find their way forward by integrating the following approaches:

• Talk Therapy (Counseling):
  Building awareness, insight, and practical tools for navigating life & relationships

• EMDR:
  Helping the brain reprocess unresolved experiences so they no longer feel active or overwhelming

• Neurotherapy:
  Supporting the brain’s regulation directly, helping reduce baseline stress and increase mental flexibility

These approaches can be used individually or in combination to help your brain and body move out of survival states and into a place where change feels possible.

Where Do I Begin?

• Start with Counseling if you’re unsure where to begin or want support with emotional awareness, relationships, or life stress

• Consider EMDR if past experiences or trauma feel unresolved or continue to affect you

• Add Neurotherapy if you want to improve regulation, focus, or accelerate progress

Many clients benefit from an integrative approach that includes attachment-focused therapy and nervous system regulation.