Since 1995, I have been working in the field of mental health and well-being, as a US Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC). I have a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and have been working with individuals and couples for 20 plus years.
In 2020, I gave up my general private practice and completed a training called Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), and now only work with people who are suffering from chronic pain and/or other challenging physical symptoms.
My passion and interest in working with individuals who have chronic pain stems from my own personal journey and recovery from persistent back and neck pain and headaches (see My Story below).
MY STORY:
People often ask me about my path with chronic pain so I’ve decided to include it here:
My story is that around the age of 51 I started experiencing pain in my upper back, lower back, neck, right side of my pelvis, my left knee and started having more regular headaches. Some of these areas had been tender on and off for years but around this time the discomfort increased.
I gave up a lot to accommodate my pain, for example, up to the point that my pain got worse, I had been practicing yoga for years, however, each time I took a class the pain became so intense afterwards that I was in discomfort for days.
I explored this with my GP hoping to get some answers (but she didn’t know what could be the cause), and went to chiropractors, acupuncturists, homoeopaths and they too had their explanations, but regardless of the treatments, with sometimes some short reprieve, the pain never went away. After a long while, I started avoiding activities that gave me more discomfort. I stopped going to yoga classes, I started walking with a knee brace and walking less, I stopped moving in ways that made me worried and that I believed would bring on the pain (sound familiar?). I concluded that it was all due to the fact that I was aging and that my body must be undergoing some structural changes, especially my upper back which was starting to show signs of lordosis, an inward curve of the spine. I decided that there was nothing I could do but limit my choice of movements and do less of the things I enjoyed doing.
I then read the book, “The Way Out”, by Alan Gordon, and it literally changed my life. I saw myself and not just my pain, but my tendencies, my thoughts, the choices I make…all on the pages of the book. And for the first time in a deeper way I understood why I had the pain I had, that it all made sense, and what I could do to get out of it. I was so enamored with the book that I signed up to do the training with the author and well ,the rest is that I am now a certified Pain Reprocessing Therapist (painreprocessingtherapy.com). I’m back to taking yoga classes and walking as much as I want. I have no more pain in my knee, my upper and lower back, my pelvis and when I do get the occasional head ache I know what to do to get rid of it.
I look forward to connecting with anyone who wants to explore more freedom from their chronic pain or other distressing chronic symptoms.
I currently live in The Hague, The Netherlands and Javea, Spain and work online.
Education:
Bachelors (BA) Psychology, University of Vermont, Vermont USA
Masters (MA) Counseling Psychology, Antioch New England, New Hampshire, USA
My professional trainings over the years include:
Pain Re-Processing Therapy
Mindfulness (Vispassana) Meditation Teacher
Yin Yoga
Yoga and Mindfulness
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples and Individuals (All Levels)
Gottman Couple Therapy
Gestalt Therapy
Transactional Analysis
My other interests and passions, besides my family and loved ones, are meditation, walking, swimming, and “letting go” (which is one of my life long practices).