I joined the staff of Lotus Point Wellness in the Spring of 2017. After 20 years of practice, in a wide variety of settings, LPW felt like the perfect place for me. I strongly support Lotus Point’s holistic philosophy and their recognition of the importance of the mind-body connection.

When people feeling anxious, depressed, or angry, often the problem is their stress level and the lack of a social support system. I can help you recognize, reduce, and ultimately, more effectively manage your stress. I can be your temporary support system, enabling you to address the problems in your life more effectively.

Good self-care can often prevent anxiety and depression from emerging in the first place. A specialty and passion of mine is helping people develop excellent sleep habits and/or treat insomnia, if they have it using CBT-I (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia). Sleep is a vital part of self-care and poor sleep can also lead to anxiety and depression. When they do emerge, I strive to provide warm, supportive, and up-to-date mental health care.

I work from several theoretical frameworks including Humanistic, Attachment, Cognitive, Social Rhythms, Activation, Interpersonal, and Psychodynamic. I have specialized training in CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) and CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy) for trauma treatment.

In my career, I have worked at Suburban Hospital, UMD Shady Grove’s Counseling Center, and as a counselor and the Executive Director at Washington Pastoral Counseling Service.

SPECIALTIES

• Depression (adolescent and adult)

• Anxiety (Using Dr. Martin Seif’s approach)

• Relationship problems (Al-Anon informed)

• Parenting skills

• Insomnia treatment using CBT-I (4-8 sessions) (see below)

• Confidence Building

• Grief and Loss

• Mid-life Issues

• Trauma Treatment using CPT (see below)

I enjoy working with individuals, adolescents (age 12 and up), couples, and families to help them have happier and more fulfilling lives. My style is comfortable, supportive, and professional.

I regularly participate in advanced, and continuing education programs.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia, sometimes called CBT-I, is an effective treatment and is recommended as the first line of treatment by the American Academy of Physicians.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia is a structured program that helps you identify and replace thoughts and behaviors that cause or worsen sleep problems with habits that promote sound sleep. Unlike sleeping pills, CBT-I helps you overcome the underlying causes of your sleep problems.

To identify how to best treat your insomnia, your sleep therapist may have you keep a detailed sleep diary for one to two weeks.

How does cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia work?

The cognitive part of CBT-I teaches you to recognize and change beliefs that affect your ability to sleep. This type of therapy can help you control or eliminate negative thoughts and worries that keep you awake.

The behavioral part of CBT-I helps you develop good sleep habits and avoid behaviors that keep you from sleeping well.

Among other techniques, your treatment may involve: 

• Stimulus control therapy. This method helps remove factors that condition your mind to resist sleep. For example, you might be coached to set a consistent bedtime and wake time and avoid naps, use the bed only for sleep and sex, and leave the bedroom if you can’t go to sleep within 20 minutes, only returning when you’re sleepy.

• Sleep restriction. Lying in bed when you’re awake can become a habit that leads to poor sleep. This treatment reduces the time you spend in bed, causing partial sleep deprivation, which makes you more tired the next night. Once your sleep has improved, your time in bed is gradually increased.

** About Cognitive Processing Therapy for Trauma (CPT):

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a cognitive-behavioral therapy treatment that focuses on thoughts and feelings and is specifically used for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and related conditions. PTSD can develop when an individual experiences a traumatic event such as physical and sexual abuse or assault, accidents, threats, military combat, or being a witness to violence or death. CPT focuses on the connections between thoughts, feelings, behavior, and bodily sensations. CPT is an evidence-based therapy which means that it has been proven to be effective through rigorous scientific research. CPT is endorsed by the U.S. Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, as well as, the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, as a best practice for the treatment of PTSD.

CPT provides a way to understand why recovery from traumatic events is difficult and how symptoms of PTSD affect daily life. The focus is on identifying how traumatic experiences change thoughts and beliefs, and how thoughts influence current feelings and behaviors. An important part of the treatment is addressing ways of thinking that might keep individuals “stuck” and get in the way of recovery from symptoms of PTSD and other problems.

Goals of CPT

• Improve understanding of PTSD

• Reduce distress about memories of the trauma

• Decrease emotional numbing (i.e., difficulty feeling feelings) and avoidance of trauma reminders

• Reduce feelings of being tense or “on edge”

• Decrease depression, anxiety, guilt, or shame

• Improve day-to-day living

What Happens in CPT?

CPT lasts for 10-12 therapy sessions (60 minutes each) during which individuals will:

• Get information on common reactions to trauma

• Identify and challenge unhelpful thoughts with structured therapy sessions

• Complete regular out-of-session practice assignments to apply what has been discussed in therapy sessions

Topics Covered During CPT

• The meaning of the traumatic event(s)

• Identification of thoughts and feelings

• Trust issues

• Safety issues

• Issues of power and control

• Esteem issues

• Intimacy issues

For more information please go to: www.cptforptsd.com