Are you feeling stressed and worn out; feeling you have no time for yourself? Are you seeking joy in life and finding it hard to hold on to? Maybe you are looking for a change but don’t know how to go about it. You don’t have to do this alone.

Using music, imagery, mindfulness, and your own knowing, I will help you connect with your inner resources, refuel, and engage on the path to healing. If you find it hard to talk or you find yourself getting stuck in your negative thoughts, creative approaches, using non-verbal expression, can help you begin looking inside and finding the solutions that are already there. This experiential approach to therapy will connect you to your true, authentic self and give you the tools to stay resilient.

Ultimately it is the person-to-person contact that makes therapy most effective and it is important that you find the right person. I welcome you to a free consultation. Know that it would be a privilege to accompany you on your path.

Psychotherapy

The decision to seek counseling can often bring up a lot of anxiety, but I believe it can also be the beginning of a positive, productive, and transforming experience. I recognize that it takes incredible courage to start this process and I will help to make it as empowering as possible. I am committed to creating a safe and trusting relationship with my clients so that they may feel supported and heard.

My approach is experientially based, eclectic and flexible, and is adapted to meet the individual needs for the clients I work with. My goal is to help each person connect with their strengths so that they are better able to acknowledge and work with their vulnerabilities. I use creative approaches such as Guided Imagery and Music, as well as Internal Family Systems and techniques in mindfulness practice. I find that experiential therapy shortens the length of therapy. Talking and knowing is not enough; you need to feel it and experience it for lasting change to occur.

services

Individual therapy

Most of my work is a combination of verbal interventions and music and imagery work. I work with adults and adolescents.

You may come to me because:

• you are feeling stuck

• you are in a crisis

• you are living through an important transition

• you are feeling anxious and depressed

• you want to try a different approach to therapy and one that uses music and creativity

Insurance

I am a Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) provider. I can also provide you with an invoice containing the information you will need for out-of-network reimbursement from your insurance company.

Cancellation Policy

I ask that you call me at least 24 hours in advance if you need to cancel.

Group Therapy

The goals of these groups are to:

• Identify and strengthen positive resources within

• Strengthen ability to be in the present moment

• Build resilience and capacity to deal with the stresses of life

• Practice self-care strategies using music

Through music listening and playing, though imagery and reflection, you will connect with your authentic self and your inner resources. To know it, visualize it, experience it, and feel it, is to have access to it. By deeply experiencing one’s positive resources within and matching it to music you can learn to access it with greater and greater ease, and in the process re-wire your brain.

Supervision

I supervise music therapists who have graduated with a Masters degree in music therapy and counseling and are working towards their license as a Mental Health Counselor in the state of MA. I also supervise professionals who are feeling isolated in their work and looking for guidance and support. These sessions are 1 hour in length and are either in person or by way of a videoconferencing tool (Skype, Zoom).

Creative Workshops for Caregivers

I offer workshops for health practitioners and caregivers focusing on self-care and refueling. The arts can provide an embodied experience that help us reconnect with our resources and vitality. It also gives us tools as clinicians to stay present and attuned to our clients and by doing so it increases our effectiveness as clinicians. In these workshops, participants have the opportunity of engaging in music, journaling, and art making as creative tools for refueling. They leave with concrete tools they can use in their practice with their clients, as well as in their lives.

About me

My Training

I am a Board-Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC) and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC, license # 3721). I completed my training in Guided Imagery and Music at the Institute for Music and Consciousness and am a Fellow of the Association for Music and Imagery (FAMI). I have also begun my training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and have completed level 1.

My Experience

My approach to psychotherapy is an eclectic one and one in which I believe we all carry within us the wisdom to heal. I have worked over thirty years with children, adolescents and adults with a wide range of issues. In my current psychotherapy practice I work primarily with adults and adolescents, helping them engage with music as a nurturing agent, to facilitate inner exploration, growth, healing, and transformation.

I have been Adjunct Professor at Lesley University, Cambridge for close to twenty years, teaching graduate level students the art of music therapy and supervising their final internship experience. As a supervisor, not only have worked with graduate students, but I have supervised young professional music therapists from the United States, South Korea, Thailand, and Hong Kong. I have also regularly presented my work at professional conferences, both nationally and internationally.

Guided Imagery and Music

• Relaxing the body

• Focusing the attention

• Listening to the music

• Exploring the images

• Integrating the insight

This is the process. While listening to selected music in a relaxed state, expressing the imagery as it comes to mind, you may discover many creative opportunities for self-exploration and healing. The music listening is generally between 5 to 40 minutes in length, with eyes closed or eyes opened, depending on the issue addressed and your individual process. When eyes are opened you are asked to engage in a creative process, which can include, but not be limited to, drawing, writing, or moving.  

The images may be visual in nature, or they may also be emotions, memories, or physical sensations that will be unique to your life journey. A typical session will include an initial discussion to help identify the focus of the session, followed by a guided relaxation, then music listening and imaging, and a closing discussion to bring meaning to your experience and relate it to your life and your relationships.

After experiencing several sessions, you may sense a new and deeper connection to previously untapped dimensions of yourself. Old behaviors may fade and new ways of being may emerge. Six sessions is sometimes enough to experience real change.

For more information visit: www.ami-bonnymethod.org

internal family systems

Have you found yourself sometimes starting your sentence with: “There’s a part of me that….?” According to the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, a person contains many sub-personalities each with their qualities, beliefs, and roles within the system. We have parts that because of painful experiences in our past may feel shame and fear. We have parts that help us manage our lives and protect us from these feelings. These are called managers and are our controlling, critical, perfectionist parts, among others. We also have parts that appear when our managers are not successful in keeping the painful feelings away. These parts are more reactive and lead us to extreme behaviors such as binge drinking, driving too fast, or even obsessively cleaning as a means of keeping the feelings at bay.

In IFS all parts are welcome. The work of IFS is that of an archeologist, discovering our parts within, getting to know and appreciate each part, seeing the world through its lens, and learning the role it has played in our lives. A fundamental concept of IFS is the belief that, in addition to all these parts, there is at the center of every human being, a Self that is compassionate, courageous, curious, connected, creative, confident, calm, and clear. The ultimate goal of IFS is to learn to lead our lives from Self.

This psychotherapy model was developed by Richard Schwartz twenty years ago and in the last few years has become increasingly popular. In this era of evidence-based models, IFS research suggests that the approach is quick and efficient in working with trauma and pain.

To learn more about IFS go to www.selfleadership.com