Anxiety is the feeling of being nervous, on edge, keyed up, or panicky. It might be due to an obvious reason, like an upcoming presentation, or for no observable reason. For some people, being anxious may influence their thoughts, and they find themselves over-thinking about things. For others, it’s a very physical experience, where their stomach hurts or their chest is tight. Sometimes it’s both. No matter how your anxiety shows up, it is remarkably uncomfortable. Reach out today to discuss how we can work together to reduce your anxiety and get you feeling calm and grounded again.

Depression is the clinical term for feeling persistently and significantly sad, down, low energy, and/or disinterested. While many people think of depression as centered around sadness and/or hopelessness, it can also be a longstanding feeling of disinterested and disconnected without feeling specifically sad. Whatever your flavor of depression, it can be incredibly isolating and even scary. Please know that help is available - reach out today for a consultation, or call/text 988 within the United States if you’re feeling like you want to hurt yourself.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental health concern where people have persistent difficulties in relationships with others, mood swings, issues with self-harm and suicidality, and a struggle to feel solid in their own identity. These difficulties lead to troubles functioning day-to-day, whether it be at school or at work. Borderline Personality Disorder is thought to be caused by a combination of biological factors as well as environmental factors - both nature and nurture, in other words. BPD is treatable, and I have personally seen people heal.

Therapy for anxiety will always be personalized to your symptoms, experiences, and past therapy history. That said, I typically help people identify the cause of their anxiety: this might be a past experience, a set of unhelpful thoughts, or even lifestyle factors. Once we have a good understanding of what’s leading you to feel the way you are, we find practical ways to help you feel better. We will collaboratively identify small shifts you can make to start feeling better.

I usually use Dialectical Behavior Therapy for people with BPD, because it is well-researched as an effective treatment for BPD. When I use DBT in my practice, we will start by learning the DBT skills. These skills help you to reduce mood swings, learn to cope with tough times, have healthier relationships, and of course learn about mindfulness. We then examine the patterns in your life that relate to this diagnosis, and start to unravel the self-beliefs and actions that are keeping you feeling so unsteady.

Our mental health rarely fits into one neat little box. Most of the time, people have multiple issues that are related to each other, whether it’s depression and anxiety, or trauma and BPD. Rest assured, we will figure out your unique landscape so you have a path forward to feeling better.

During the (free!) 15-20 minute consultation, we’ll talk a bit about what you’re looking for in a therapist. We’ll make sure that we’re a good fit to work together. You’ll have time to ask me questions about my experience, approach, background, and/or values.

After the consultation, we schedule our first appointment. During that appointment, I ask a lot of questions so that I can get a bird’s eye view of your life and what you want to work on. I ask about your symptoms, your relationships, your mental health history, and lots more! This helps me to get to know you on a deeper level, and for us to lay out your goals for therapy.

First, you want to make sure that any therapist you’re considering working with is licensed. Their website should share their license number (my Wisconsin license is LCSW 11049 - 123). You can then verify their license through the Board that licenses them.

As long as they’re licensed by the state you are in, then you want to focus on if they have experience treating what you want help with. For example, if you want someone to help you with Borderline Personality Disorder, and they are a specialist in OCD, then you should seek someone who has training and experience to treat BPD.

Once you have established that they are appropriately licensed and have the correct training/experience, you want to focus on fit. The concept of “good fit” means that you and the therapist click. You feel comfortable and safe with them. Your personalities mesh. They’re someone that you want to talk to! This is a little abstract, but that relationship with the therapist is actually the greatest predictor of successful therapy (Ardito and Rabellino, 2011). You can assess this by having a consultation or meeting with the therapist to see how you’re feeling about working with them.

(Ardito RB, Rabellino D. Therapeutic alliance and outcome of psychotherapy: historical excursus, measurements, and prospects for research. Front Psychol. 2011 Oct 18;2:270. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00270. PMID: 22028698; PMCID: PMC3198542.)

First, you want to make sure that any therapist you’re considering working with is licensed. Their website should share their license number (my New Jersey license is LCSW 44SC06017200). You can then verify their license through the Board that licenses them.

As long as they’re licensed by the state you are in, then you want to focus on if they have experience treating what you want help with. For example, if you want someone to help you with Borderline Personality Disorder, and they are a specialist in OCD, then you should seek someone who has training and experience to treat BPD.

Once you have established that they are appropriately licensed and have the correct training/experience, you want to focus on fit. The concept of “good fit” means that you and the therapist click. You feel comfortable and safe with them. Your personalities mesh. They’re someone that you want to talk to! This is a little abstract, but that relationship with the therapist is actually the greatest predictor of successful therapy (Ardito and Rabellino, 2011). You can assess this by having a consultation or meeting with the therapist to see how you’re feeling about working with them.

(Ardito RB, Rabellino D. Therapeutic alliance and outcome of psychotherapy: historical excursus, measurements, and prospects for research. Front Psychol. 2011 Oct 18;2:270. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00270. PMID: 22028698; PMCID: PMC3198542.)

First, you want to make sure that any therapist you’re considering working with is licensed. Their website should share their license number (my Pennsylvania license is CW022781). You can then verify their license through the Board that licenses them.

As long as they’re licensed by the state you are in, then you want to focus on if they have experience treating what you want help with. For example, if you want someone to help you with Borderline Personality Disorder, and they are a specialist in OCD, then you should seek someone who has training and experience to treat BPD.

Once you have established that they are appropriately licensed and have the correct training/experience, you want to focus on fit. The concept of “good fit” means that you and the therapist click. You feel comfortable and safe with them. Your personalities mesh. They’re someone that you want to talk to! This is a little abstract, but that relationship with the therapist is actually the greatest predictor of successful therapy (Ardito and Rabellino, 2011). You can assess this by having a consultation or meeting with the therapist to see how you’re feeling about working with them.

(Ardito RB, Rabellino D. Therapeutic alliance and outcome of psychotherapy: historical excursus, measurements, and prospects for research. Front Psychol. 2011 Oct 18;2:270. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00270. PMID: 22028698; PMCID: PMC3198542.)