Individual Therapy
​​Individual therapy with me focuses on adults impacted by emotional abuse, emotional neglect, or controlling relationships, whether those dynamics occurred in childhood, adulthood, or both.​​​
I work primarily with adults whose sense of self was shaped by emotionally unsafe or controlling relationships, often without obvious trauma.
Many people arrive highly capable and outwardly functional, yet internally unsettled. They may carry persistent self-doubt, emotional tension, shutdown, or a constant need to stay alert in relationships, even when they cannot point to a single event that explains it. ​
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​​​​Experiences labeled as anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, grief, or low self-esteem are understood here as adaptations to emotionally unsafe environments, not signs that something is wrong with you.
In-person individual therapy is available in Scottsdale,
with Telehealth options for adults across Arizona, California, and Massachusetts.​
What it's like to work together​
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Sessions are paced and collaborative, with attention to how your nervous system responds in real time, not just insight.
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If you feel blank, shut down, or unsure where to begin, we slow down rather than push.​​​ The work is active and engaged, but not advice-driven. We focus on building internal safety and choice so change can occur without force.
Clarity often develops as safety increases.
Is individual therapy with me the right fit for you?
This work may be helpful if
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You second-guess your perceptions or judgment, especially after emotionally invalidating or controlling relationships
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You feel tense, shut down, or on alert in close relationships
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You carry shame or self-blame that does not match your actual circumstances
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You want therapy that does not rely on pressure, emotional exposure, or forced insight
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If you’re not sure what fits, start here: Childhood Emotional Abuse & Neglect / Narcissistic & Coercive Abuse.
This work may not be helpful if
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You’re looking for an advice-driven or quick-solution approach to therapy.
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You’re seeking couples or family therapy rather than individual work.
How I work
Therapy is not about fixing you or pushing insight faster than your system can tolerate. I work in a way that is paced, intentional, and attentive to how easily people can feel pressured or misunderstood in therapeutic spaces.
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Our work focuses on understanding and gently loosening survival responses such as people-pleasing, withdrawal, or hypervigilance, especially when those patterns developed in emotionally unsafe relationships.
​Depending on your needs, our work may include approaches such as EMDR or parts-based therapy. These methods are used selectively and thoughtfully, with attention to pacing and nervous-system safety. The focus is not on reliving experiences, but on supporting integration so patterns shaped by emotionally unsafe relationships can begin to loosen.
​​Over time, therapy often supports:
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Less self-doubt and greater trust in their own perceptions
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Reduced shame, self-blame, and chronic emotional tension
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More capacity for boundaries and relationships that feel safer and more stable
If you want language for experiences that can be difficult to name, the articles Why You Don’t Trust Yourself Anymore and Why Understanding What Happened Isn’t Enough to Change It explore these patterns in more depth.
Related concerns often explored in individual therapy
• Grief
• Relationship Issues
• Low Self-Esteem shaped by Emotional Neglect