Trauma and Recovery From Abuse
Healing from Emotional Abuse
As your therapist, I bring my full, authentic self into our work together. I listen deeply, offer honest reflections, and help you feel less alone by sharing insights when it’s helpful. Healing from a relationship with someone who has hurt or abused you is complex and deeply personal, requiring a specialized approach that addresses the unique ways abuse can affect your sense of self.
Understanding Lasting Effects: Survivors of narcissistic abuse often experience emotional confusion, chronic self-doubt, isolation, and the feeling of walking on eggshells in relationships.
Creating Space for Healing: Therapy helps untangle these patterns, rebuild trust in yourself, and reconnect with your inner strength.
Holistic Approach: Emotional abuse can lead to physical symptoms like chronic stress, fatigue, and even illness. I address both the emotional and physical impacts to support your complete healing.
With a compassionate and specialized approach, I’m here to help you navigate the complexities of recovery and reclaim your sense of self.
Late In Life ADHD and Neurodivergence
A Neurodiverse-Affirming Approach
As a neurodivergent person diagnosed with ADHD later in life, I understand the unique challenges of navigating a world designed for neurotypicals. Neurodivergence doesn’t just affect how we think or process information—it shapes how we experience relationships and the world around us.
Increased Vulnerability: Neurodivergent individuals are often more vulnerable to trauma and abuse due to chronic invalidation, isolation, or being misunderstood (Douglas & Sedgewick, 2024).
Coping Mechanisms: Patterns like overperformance, masking, and people-pleasing can develop as survival tools but often lead to exhaustion and disconnection from your authentic self.
Empowering Change: Together, we’ll explore how these patterns have served you in the past and work to rewrite your narrative in a way that feels empowering and authentic.
By addressing both the challenges and strengths of neurodivergence, we’ll create space for healing, growth, and a deeper connection to your true self.
Breaking Free from Perfectionism and People-Pleasing
Many of us spend years focusing on others—caretaking, people-pleasing, and striving for perfection to prove our worth or avoid criticism. While these strategies may have helped you survive, they often lead to resentment, exhaustion, and disconnection.
The Cost of Perfectionism: For neurodivergent individuals, perfectionism and masking can feel necessary to fit in but often come at a high cost, contributing to burnout, imposter syndrome, and mental health challenges.
Finding Balance: Research shows this way of living isn’t sustainable. In therapy, we’ll identify the aspects of perfectionism that serve you—like creativity and resilience—while letting go of the parts that hold you back.
An Integrative Approach: Together, we’ll explore how trauma, neurodivergence, and relational patterns influence your life and relationships, addressing both the emotional and physical impacts of these patterns.
The goal is to help you build a life that feels balanced, authentic, and aligned with who you truly are.
Perfectionism and Imposter Syndrome
Therapy is a collaborative journey for healing and self-discovery. It is a worthwhile investment and a step towards self compassion.
Sources: Douglas S, Sedgewick F. Experiences of interpersonal victimization and abuse among autistic people. Autism. 2024 Jul;28(7):1732-1745. doi: 10.1177/13623613231205630. Epub 2023 Oct 16. PMID: 37842827; PMCID: PMC11191373.