Do you keep choosing the same type of partner over and over again, only to be disappointed each time?
Do you feel lonely and disconnected?
Do you keep fighting with your partner about the same thing over and over again?
Do you feel that your partner doesn't really "get you" after all?
Do you sometimes wonder if the problem is with you?
It's really hard to be happy in a relationship with someone else if you are not happy with yourself. A person with confidence and optimism is much more likely to attract other people who feel good about themselves, while someone with low self esteem will find others who not only don't like themselves, but who will have a hard time liking anyone else. Having a good sense of what you feel and what you need in your own life, and knowing how to communicate that will make relationships with everyone else far more successful. Psychotherapy can help you become more self aware, so that you become "relationship appropriate." Only then can you be Relationship Ready.
Beginning psychotherapy can be a daunting process. It is important to find a therapist who tries hard to understand your issues from your point of view, who is open to change when necessary, and who isn't uncomfortable tolerating your emotional experience. You should also look for a therapist who has a philosophical point of view that makes sense to you, so you don't feel confused about the direction therapy is headed.
I have been a licensed psychologist since 1992. I try to understand people by blending both psychodynamic and imago theories with cognitive-behavioral interventions. I work to understand how you came to be by looking at early lifetime experiences, and then explore how you understand those experiences in the present day. I may also help you understand your experience through cognitive-behavioral intervention, as insight alone often doesn't create lasting change.
I received my Ph.D. from George Washington University. I have worked at the Sexual Disorders Clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital, The Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital, and at Loyola University Counseling Center. It is through those work experiences that I have come to understand the importance that self esteem plays in the development of anxiety and depression, and how building self confidence through nonjudgmental awareness and acceptance can improve mood and enhance relationships.
When we are not accepted for who we are or for what we feel, when we don't receive empathy for our pain or when appropriate limits are not set for us, we start to believe we have no merit, and our self esteem starts to plunge. We start to believe that something is wrong with us for feeling, thinking, or needing something that important people in our lives don't understand or accept. This experience makes us depressed or creates anxiety within us. Low self esteem also influences our relationships with others, as it affects the kind of partner we choose, our willingness to be vulnerable, and how we allow ourselves to be treated. Psychotherapy can help us change our view of self so that we treat ourselves with respect, learn how to act with confidence, and how to have healthier, more satisfying relationships
If you are interested in learning more about my practice, please feel free to contact me. I am located at 8 Reservoir Circle, Suite 103, Baltimore, MD 21208.
My phone number is 443-352-3685, and my fax is 410-602-1692.
