Evidence-Based Approach

My work is grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), developed by Dr. Steven Hayes, which emphasizes psychological flexibility, the ability to make room for difficult thoughts and feelings while still moving toward a life guided by your values. Within this framework, I integrate somatic practices such as grounding, mindfulness-based awareness, breath work, and careful attention to bodily experience to help you notice what is happening inside you without getting swept away by it. Polyvagal Theory, as articulated by Dr. Steven Porges, complements this approach by highlighting how the nervous system shifts through states of safety, activation, and shutdown, and how attuned, regulating experiences can support a return to felt safety that makes ACT-oriented flexibility more possible in the first place.

I also draw from Attachment Theory, Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model, and interpersonal neurobiology, a field developed by Dr. Dan Siegel, as foundational lenses for understanding human growth and development. Together, these frameworks emphasize that healing is shaped not only by insight, but by regulation, relational safety, and the quality of our early and ongoing relationships. I also draw from the growing neuroscience of social connection, including ideas from Dr. Ben Rein that our brains need friendship and in-person human connection much like they need other forms of health support, and that isolation can undermine mental and physical wellbeing. This also resonates with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman’s sailboat model of human growth, particularly the sail of exploration, love, and purpose, which frames healing not only as symptom reduction, but as a movement toward self-discovery, meaningful connection, and a fuller sense of direction in life. In our work together, this reinforces the importance of attunement and meaningful connection as core parts of healing.

I also use current, valid, and reliable assessments to better understand your  treatment needs. These tools can help clarify what is contributing to distress, identify patterns that may otherwise be hard to see, and guide us toward the most appropriate course of treatment within our therapeutic relationship. Rather than replacing human judgment or collaboration, assessment helps us make thoughtful, informed decisions together about where to focus our work.