Who I help
I specialize in helping adults navigate complex emotional and relationship patterns—the kinds of challenges that don't resolve with quick fixes or surface-level coping strategies. If you're thoughtful, self-aware, and ready to understand yourself on a deeper level, you're in the right place.
1: Recovery from emotionally harmful relationship dynamics
What This Looks Like
You were in a relationship with someone who seemed charming at first but gradually eroded your sense of self.
Maybe it was a romantic partner, a parent, a friend, or a boss. The relationship involved manipulation, gaslighting, emotional abuse, or a pattern of being idealized then devalued.
Now, even though the relationship may be over, you're dealing with:
Constant second-guessing and self-doubt
Difficulty trusting your own perceptions
Feeling "crazy" or like you can't trust yourself
Hypervigilance about others' moods and reactions
Guilt, shame, or confusion about what happened
Anxiety about future relationships
Wondering if you were the problem
How I Help
Recovery from narcissistic abuse isn't just about moving on—it's about healing the wounds that made you
vulnerable in the first place, and rebuilding trust in yourself.
Together we:
Name what happened — Understanding narcissistic abuse patterns and recognizing you weren't
imagining it
Process the trauma — Releasing the emotional pain in a safe, structured way
Rebuild your sense of self — Reconnecting with who you are beneath the damage
Understand the pattern — Why you ended up in that relationship and how to avoid repeating it
Learn healthy boundaries — Protecting yourself while staying open to genuine connection
Restore your trust — In yourself, in your perceptions, and eventually in others
What Healing Looks Like
Recovery takes time, but it's possible. You'll know you're healing when:
You stop questioning your reality
You can recognize red flags early
You feel confident in your own perceptions
You can set boundaries without guiltYou attract healthier people into your life
You feel like yourself again
2: Anxiety & Emotional Exhaustion
What This Looks Like
On the outside, you look like you have it together. You're successful, capable, doing all the "right" things. But inside, you're exhausted.
You might experience:
Constant worry that won't turn off
Physical tension (tight chest, shallow breathing, clenched jaw)
Overthinking every decision and conversation
Feeling like you're always waiting for something bad to happen
Difficulty relaxing, even when everything is fine
Emotional exhaustion that no amount of self-care seems to fix
Feeling like you're barely keeping it together
This is often called "high-functioning anxiety"—you're succeeding by most measures, but you're burning out in the process.
How Schema Therapy Helps
Most anxiety treatments focus on managing symptoms: breathing exercises, thought-challenging, mindfulness.
These can help, but they often don't address the root cause.
Schema Therapy helps us understand why you're anxious in the first place. Often, anxiety is driven by
underlying schemas like:
"Something bad is going to happen" (Vulnerability to harm)
"I'm not good enough unless I'm perfect" (Unrelenting standards)
"People will abandon me if I'm not perfect" (Abandonment + Defectiveness)
We work to:
Identify the source — What childhood experiences created this anxiety?
Process unresolved emotions — Fear, grief, anger that never got expressedChallenge the old beliefs — Creating new experiences that prove the old patterns wrong
Build inner stability — So you feel safe even when things are uncertain
Respond vs. react — Learning to notice anxiety without being controlled by it
What Relief Feels Like
As we work together, you'll notice:
More spaciousness in your mind
Ability to let things go
Feeling grounded even when stressed
Trusting that you can handle what comes
Actually enjoying your life instead of just surviving it
3: Boundaries & People-Pleasing
What This Looks Like
You have a hard time saying no. You put everyone else's needs before your own. You feel guilty when you
prioritize yourself, and you're exhausted from trying to keep everyone happy.
Common patterns include:
Saying yes when you want to say no
Overextending yourself until you burn out
Feeling responsible for others' emotions
Difficulty asking for what you need
Guilt when you set boundaries
Losing yourself in relationships
Feeling resentful but unable to speak up
Why This Happens
People-pleasing usually develops in childhood as a survival strategy. Maybe your needs were ignored, so you learned to focus on others' needs to feel valuable. Maybe love felt conditional on being "good," so you learned to suppress your authentic self. These patterns served you once—but now they're draining you.
How We Change This Together
Boundary work isn't about becoming selfish or cold. It's about learning that your needs matter too.
We work on:
Understanding where this comes from — What early experiences taught you to prioritize others?
Recognizing your actual needs — Many people-pleasers have lost touch with what they even want
Practicing saying no — Starting small and building confidence
Managing the guilt — It will come up, and we'll work through it
Building self-worth — So your value doesn't depend on pleasing others
Attracting healthier relationships — When you have boundaries, you attract people who respect them
What Freedom Feels Like
As you develop healthier boundaries:
You'll say no without guilt
You'll ask for what you need
You'll have more energy because you're not over-giving
Your relationships will improve (the healthy ones) or end (the unhealthy ones)
You'll feel more like yourself
4: Relationship Patterns & Codependency
What This Looks Like
You keep ending up in the same types of relationships. Maybe you're attracted to people who are unavailable, critical, or controlling. Maybe you lose yourself in relationships, becoming whoever your partner needs you to be. Maybe you stay in relationships long after you should have left.
Common patterns:
Feeling complete only when in a relationship
Fear of abandonment driving your choices
Difficulty being alone
Ignoring red flags because you want it to work
Staying in unhealthy relationships out of guilt or fearAttracting emotionally unavailable partners
Confusing intensity with intimacy
Understanding the Pattern
These patterns almost always stem from early attachment wounds—how you learned to connect (or disconnect)
based on your early relationships with caregivers.
If your needs weren't consistently met, you may have developed schemas like:
Abandonment — "People I love will leave me"
Emotional deprivation — "No one will be there for my needs"
Enmeshment — "I don't exist outside of my relationships"
How Schema Therapy Helps
We don't just talk about your relationship patterns—we heal the wounds that created them.
This includes:
Understanding your attachment style — How early relationships shaped your adult patterns
Identifying your schemas — The specific patterns keeping you stuck
Healing childhood wounds — Creating corrective emotional experiences
Building secure attachment — Learning to connect without losing yourself
Choosing differently — Attracting partners who can actually meet your needs
Staying connected to yourself — Even when in relationship
What Healthy Love Feels Like
As you heal, relationships become:
Spaces where both people can be authentic
Connections built on genuine compatibility, not just chemistry
Partnerships where you feel secure, not anxious
Relationships you choose consciously, not fall into desperately
5: Complex Trauma & PTSD
What This Looks Like
Trauma isn't always a single dramatic event. Often, it's the accumulation of many experiences over time—chronic neglect, emotional abuse, growing up in an unpredictable or unsafe environment.
You might experience:
Emotional flashbacks (suddenly feeling like you're back in the past)
Hypervigilance (always scanning for danger)
Difficulty trusting others
Shame and feeling fundamentally broken
Disconnection from your body or emotions
Relationship difficulties
Depression, anxiety, or both
Complex trauma (sometimes called C-PTSD) often stems from childhood experiences like:
Emotional, physical, or sexual abuse
Neglect or emotional abandonment
Growing up with a mentally ill or addicted parent
Witnessing domestic violence
Chronic criticism, invalidation, or control
How I Work with Trauma
Healing from complex trauma requires going slowly and building safety first. We never rush into painful memories before you're ready.
My approach includes:
Creating safety — Building a therapeutic relationship where you feel genuinely safe
Understanding your nervous system — How trauma lives in your body, not just your mind
Resourcing — Building internal tools before we do deeper work
Processing at your pace — Using imagery and experiential work when you're ready
Reparenting wounded parts — Giving your younger self what they didn't get
Integration — Helping all parts of you work together instead of fighting
What Healing Looks Like
Recovery from complex trauma isn't linear, but it's possible. As we work together:
Triggers become less frequent and less intenseYou feel more present in your body
Relationships become easier and more satisfying
Shame lifts and you see yourself with compassion
The past stops controlling your present
6: For Mental Health Professionals
Why Therapists Need Therapy
You've dedicated your life to helping others heal. You hold space for pain, witness transformation, and carry the
emotional weight of your clients' stories. But who holds space for you?
Many therapists I work with come because:
Personal patterns are showing up in clinical work
They're experiencing burnout or compassion fatigue
Counter-transference is affecting their relationships with clients
They're struggling with their own attachment wounds or relationship patterns
They want to experience Schema Therapy personally before using it with clients
They need a space where they can be the client, not the helper
What's Different When Working with Therapists
When you're a clinician, therapy needs to be different. You need:
Clinical depth — We can speak in sophisticated terms without simplifying
Professional respect — I understand the unique challenges and ethics of this work
Complete separation — Your therapy is confidential and separate from your professional identity
Space to be vulnerable — No need to "therapize" yourself or stay in helper mode
Advanced work — Going deeper than what you do with your own clients
What We Might Work On
Common themes with therapist clients:
Your own attachment wounds affecting how you connect with clients
Boundaries between personal and professional life
Over-identifying with certain client issuesImpostor syndrome and professional self-doubt
Vicarious trauma from client work
Relationship patterns outside of work
Your own need for nurturing and support
Personal growth and self-awareness
The Schema Therapy Experience
Many therapists seek me out specifically to experience Schema Therapy from the client side. Whether you're
considering training in this modality or simply want to know it deeply, there's no substitute for experiencing it yourself.
You'll understand:
How vulnerable it feels to do chair work and imagery
The power of experiential vs. cognitive work
How schemas show up in your own life
The depth of healing this approach creates
Confidentiality
Everything we discuss is confidential. I won't reference your clinical work unless you bring it up, and your
therapy with me has no connection to your professional life or licensure.
Not Sure Where You Fit?
That's okay. Many people struggle with multiple patterns, or their situation doesn't fit neatly into one category.
The important thing is that you're here, considering whether deeper work might help.
Let's talk. In a free 15-minute consultation, we can discuss what you're going through and whether Schema
Therapy is right for you.