My Modalities

I work in a person-centered way. That is, our work is focused on you and where your interest is, with the intention of helping you out of your distress, and on your goals. This is true no matter the method. I am here for you.

I mainly work in the Applied Metapsychology Model (AMP).

Within this model, I use TIR (Traumatic Incident Reduction) Treatment for PTSD. I am a Certified TIR Facilitator. At the time of this writing, I am one of three people who are not just trained, but fully Certified as a TIR Facilitator in the State of Virginia.

TIR is a SAHMSA-approved, evidence-based treatment for PTSD. See this page for more information on the importance of evidence-based treatment.

With TIR, you will safely revisit the incident (or series of incidents) that are troubling you, in structured way. I’ll be with you every step of the way. The goal is to reprocess how you experience the incident(s), so that you will feel the distress get lighter and less intense. You won’t get any surprises from me, because you need to feel safe enough to revisit these painful incidents or memories. Trauma therapy sessions are planned ahead of time and they have no set end time. When you are stabilized and reach an “End Point”, that’s when we are done with a session.

The length of time on this varies, but most TIR sessions can be done in 90 minutes. The number of PTSD treatment sessions is determined by your level of relief from PTSD symptoms, as well as what might be attached to it. For example, a single car accident may take 2 to 4 sessions, while years of bullying or witnessing traumatic events repeatedly may have more issues or “charge” attached, so more work might be needed. That’s ok. There is no “right” number of sessions that it takes; the goal is to relieve your symptoms.

I use LSR (Life Stress Reduction), a related technique, to address the issues of life stress, anxiety, relationship issues, and overwhelm that are bringing you to therapy. These are often present in high-functioning women, with or without ADHD. LSR is also somewhat structured, but less so than TIR sessions. Don’t worry about the structure; I am the one holding it in the session. The purpose of the prompts is to help you look in greater depth, without judgment or interpretation from me, at the issues that are causing you stress (as well as happiness.) It is still person-centered, so we focus on whatever is concerning you during a session. You are here for you, after all!

I may use other modalities as needed, depending on the challenges you are facing. My job is not to make you wrong or to “fix” you. Instead, I give you a safe space to look at these things honestly. The more you are able to view the issues that are charged, the more you will unlayer and reduce that charge. Think of your emotional and mental “charge” like a lava flow: If you try to push it down, it builds pressure, and it takes energy to keep it “pushed down”. But if you open it up, you can release the pressure and examine the different parts of the lava. Just as a lava flow cools when released, your mental and emotional charge get released and reduced. The result is more calm and clarity about the issues that have been so distressing.

Is this hard to imagine? I encourage you to try it and see for yourself.

I may use other modalities as needed, depending on the challenges you are facing.

Occasionally I will give consultation. This may involve information on resources for ADHD or current life stressors. Or I may give guidance in the form of strategies for parenting or tackling executive functioning deficits, or calming your anxiety between sessions, if that is what you need. However, if you find strategies are not working or difficult to put in place, you may find that viewing your concerns with LSR will help look at the issues and the charge surrounding them with more clarity. Think of this as bringing a blurry picture into focus, so that you know what exactly you are looking at.