My Therapeutic Approach
Therapy for Anxiety, Trauma, and Attachment in Relationships
You may have come here because you're navigating the effects of trauma, struggling with anxiety, or feeling stuck in unhealthy relationship patterns. While these struggles may seem like and might be separate issues, they all have something in common: a nervous system that's working hard to protect you.
This is why my therapeutic approach is centered on understanding how your nervous system has and is influencing the way you think, feel, and respond to the world around you. Rather than asking, "What's wrong with you?,” or looking only at symptoms, my approach focuses on understanding what's happening beneath the surface—what your brain, body, and nervous system have learned through past experiences and how those learned patterns may still be showing up today.
While everyone's experiences are different, many of the people I work with describe a similar feeling. Many of the clients I work with tell me they feel unsettled and know something is "off," but they can't explain why. Their minds won't slow down. They overthink conversations, feel emotionally reactive, shut down during conflict, or struggle to feel truly at ease…even when life seems "fine" on the surface.
Why Clients Choose My Approach & How It Helps
While everyone's experiences are different, many of the people I work with describe a similar feeling. Many of the clients I work with tell me they feel unsettled and know something is "off," but they can't explain why. Their minds won't slow down. They overthink conversations, feel emotionally reactive, shut down during conflict, or struggle to feel truly at ease…even when life seems "fine" on the surface.
At the surface...
You're living with symptoms that leave you feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or wondering, "Why do I keep reacting this way?"
Underneath...
Your brain and nervous system are following protective patterns and are responding based on what they've learned from past experiences (whether that’s yesterday, or 20 years ago).
Throughout our lives, our brain and nervous system are constantly learning from our experiences. When something feels painful, overwhelming, or unsafe, your brain naturally remembers it so it can try to protect you from experiencing something similar again. The challenge is that your brain and nervous system aren't always able to tell the difference between something that's truly dangerous and something that simply feels familiar.
So sometimes, when a current situation reminds your brain or nervous system of a past difficult experience (even if you don't consciously remember the original event), your body's built-in threat response can become activated.
This can show up as anxiety, overthinking, shutting down, emotional overwhelm, people-pleasing, relationship struggles, and more, that ultimately feel confusing or difficult to explain.
These patterns don't just influence how you feel, though, they also shape how you connect with yourself and other people. They can affect how safe you feel in relationships, how you respond during conflict, how easily you trust others, how you cope with overwhelming emotions or stressful situations, and whether you find yourself withdrawing, people-pleasing, becoming defensive, or repeating relationship patterns that leave you feeling disconnected.
In therapy, we'll work together to make sense of these patterns by understanding what's happening behind the scenes in your nervous system and why these responses developed.
From there, our focus shifts to your present-day life. Together, we'll notice these patterns as they happen in your relationships, emotions, thoughts, and daily experiences. You'll learn to recognize them sooner, understand what they're communicating and why they're showing up, and practice responding in ways that align with who you are today rather than what your nervous system learned to do in the past.
Over time, you'll begin to experience...
Greater awareness of your triggers before they become overwhelming
The ability to move through difficult emotions without feeling controlled by them
More confidence communicating your needs and setting healthy boundaries
Stronger, more secure relationships
The freedom to respond intentionally instead of automatically reacting from old survival patterns
This Approach is a Good Fit If…
You’re open to exploring both your past experiences and present patterns
You feel anxious and overthink, and this exacerbates in or is often about relationships
You feel like something is “off” or feel generally unsettled, even if you can’t fully explain it
You’ve read about attachment styles and can relate to the anxious, avoidant, or disorganized style
You’re curious about why you react or relate the way you do
You’re open to understanding your patterns and where they come from
You’re willing to reflect on your experiences and try new ways of responding
You’re looking for more than quick fixes—you want lasting change
You want to feel more grounded and secure in relationships
Frequently Asked Questions
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I have advanced training in trauma therapy and am a Certified Trauma Professional (CTP). CTP training focuses on understanding how trauma and chronic stress affect the brain, nervous system, emotions, and relationships. This perspective is helpful not only for trauma, but also for concerns like anxiety, emotional overwhelm, and the body’s stress responses that can show up in daily life.
I also have extensive experience working with attachment-based approaches. Attachment work focuses on how early experiences and relationships can shape the way we relate to ourselves and others today. This lens can be especially helpful when working with relationship stress, patterns in close relationships, and the ways past experiences may still influence anxiety, trust, and emotional safety.
Together, these approaches allow me to understand both the nervous system responses behind anxiety and the relational patterns that often develop alongside trauma, helping you build healthier ways of relating to yourself and others.
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Therapy often includes both. We may explore past experiences when they help us understand patterns that are showing up in your life today. At the same time, we focus on practical tools and strategies that help you navigate present challenges and create meaningful change moving forward.
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That’s very common. Many people come to therapy with a general sense that something isn’t working or that they feel stuck. Part of the therapy process is helping you gain clarity around what you’re experiencing and understanding the patterns that may be contributing to it.
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Therapy that is overly structured doesn’t work well for everyone, because each person’s experiences, needs, and goals are different. Instead, I aim to balance meaningful conversation, insight, and practical tools in a way that feels supportive and relevant to you + your needs.
At times we may explore experiences more deeply to build understanding, and at other times we may focus on developing strategies that help you manage stress, regulate emotions, or navigate relationships more effectively.
Occasionally, I may suggest optional exercises or ideas to try between sessions if they feel helpful for you, but there is never pressure to complete “homework.” Our sessions are guided by your needs and the pace that feels most supportive for you.
Therapy for Trauma, Anxiety, and Relationships in St. Louis
Starting therapy can feel like a big step, but you don’t have to have it all figured out.
A free consultation is a simple way to see if this feels like the right fit.