Welcome

Thank you so much for being here.

I am so excited to share my story because I believe I am in a unique position to serve you.

I have not only received the highest level of training in DBT and various trauma healing modalities, but I have also experienced what it is like to live with intense, out of control emotions and impulsive behavior.

The therapies that I now provide to my clients are the same that facilitated my own personal healing and transformation. I am honored to be your guide through these empowering  modalities.

I discovered DBT after struggling for over a decade with obsessive dieting, binge eating, and body dysmorhphic disorder. I spent years in traditional psychotherapy, attended Overeaters Anonymous (OA) meetings religiously, attended a one month yoga teacher training course in France, learned every form of meditation I could find, and read countess self-help books—all in a desperate attempt to escape the misery that was my life at the time and cultivate a healthy relationship to food and my body.

Talk therapy always seemed like a waste of time. Sure, it was nice to vent about my problems and to feel listened to without judgement. But once I left my therapist’s office, I was on my own. I was left without the tools I needed to cope with the overwhelming emotions and impulsive urges I faced on a daily basis.

A friend in OA told me about DBT. I was intrigued, and decided to explore whether it might help me, too. With some research I discovered that private DBT programs charged approximately $500 per week. The hospital-based programs that accepted insurance had long waiting lists, and were often more intensive than what I needed. I took on an extra shift at my job in order to pay for a private program.

As I sat on the waiting list and worked my butt off six days per week, I vowed that if this therapy worked for me, I would undergo training to start my own DBT program. I wanted to offer this treatment to people like me who could not pay $2,000 each month for therapy, did not belong in an inpatient program, and needed attention sooner than the long wait lists would allow. And that is exactly what I have done.

In one year of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, I learned how to regulate my emotions, let go of my addiction to binge eating and obsessive dieting, and found stability in my life.

I uncovered, though, that the food and body image battle I had won was the manifestation of underlying issues characterized by Complex PTSD or attachment trauma. As a result of attachment trauma, I believed that I was damaged and unlovable. I struggled to trust people. Underneath my food and dieting addictions were deep feelings of shame, unworthiness, and helplessness. This meant there was more work to be done.

“Attachment trauma can lead you to withdraw from relationships in order to avoid further rejection or hurt. Or, you might feel overly dependent upon others and fearful of rejection. If you relate to these symptoms, it is important to know that you are not alone. These painful emotions are remnants of your past.”

—Dr. Arielle Schwartz

In an effort to heal my trauma, I found Somatic Experiencing ® (SE). SE helped me to uncover my fears around intimacy and connection, and gave me tools to be less afraid of my more vulnerable emotions like sadness, shame, fear, and rejection. I learned that these feelings and beliefs were at the root of my emotion dysregulation and maladaptive coping style and, with SE, I could experience them in an embodied way. This modality enabled me to process the deep pains of my childhood in a way that felt safe, titrated, and not overwhelming.

Once again, feeling so excited by the healing that SE provided me, I embarked on a three-year certification program so that I could share it with others. Today, I am passionate about helping my clients to not only experience the symptom relief and stability that DBT can provide,but also to truly heal and find deep peace and fulfillment in their lives through SE and other compassion based mindfulness practices. My therapy practice combines these healing modalities and is supplemented by my specialized training in DBT for PTSD and the DBT Prolonged Exposure Protocol. These evidence-based treatments are particularly useful in helping individuals recover from sexual and/or physical abuse.

If you want to work with someone who is not only professionally trained in the touchstone treatments for emotion dysregulation disorders, but who also truly understands your struggles as a result of having personally experienced many of them, schedule a complimentary 15-20 minute video consultation.

Let’s get started today on building your life worth living.