To life and to teaching and counseling is pretty simple:
JOY IS AN OPTION.

I realize this may sound too simplistic or trite—but I believe that sometimes we forget the simple truth that we can choose to have joy in our lives- that each and everyone one of us actually deserves to. We do not need to wait for special occasions, for the right kind of job, perfect body, or that all-elusive, fantastic romantic relationship. Each of us has what we need already within us to live with joy.

Spend a moment or two contemplating your current lifestyle and state of being: How do you feel right now? Are you uncomfortable in your body? Do you feel out of shape or disconnected from your true self? Is your energy low? Do you find yourself making poor food and lifestyle choices? Are your relationships unsatisfying and/or draining? Answering “yes” to any of these questions may leave you feeling compromised, disempowered or empty. The next question to ask: Why wait to start the process of tapping into your own power and learning to take care of yourself on every level, with a truly holistic approach to self-care.

As a therapist and holistic health practitioner, it seems only natural to me to see each client as a whole- greater than the summation of his or her parts. The way one eats, the way one feels, moves, and relates to others is interrelated and interdependent. Each of these reflects and affects each other in an undeniable way. Having each of these aspects of oneself align and become more “congruent” is integral to one’s overall sense of well-being.

As a trained psychologist, with a great deal of professional experience in addictive and self-destructive behaviors, I am eminently qualified to work with you, to explore many of the underlying issues which may be sabotaging your health and happiness. Together, we can find ways to create positive behaviors which will have long-lasting results—allowing you to experience true life-style changes, leading to greater self-awareness, self-care, and ultimately joy!

HOW YOU LOOK
In a culture that professes to be so interested in beauty, many of us go to great extremes making ourselves over. It’s no surprise that we want to look good. Although the physical self is by no means the totality of who we are, it does indeed reflect who we are.

My approach to beauty is not a one-dimensional faddist approach. Instead, I maintain that the way we look naturally flows from and is the by-product, if you will, of all the other, deeper facets of our lives. The more we tend to the needs of our bodies and recognize the significance of bringing balance to our lives emotionally, physically, and spiritually, the more likely we are to experience our own inner and outer beauty. If we don’t believe we are worth taking care of, we won’t do it- at least not for very long. We, therefore, need to recognize and address deep, pervasive underlying issues such as body image, self-esteem, our perceived worth, if you will, for these affect how we see and treat ourselves. Interestingly enough, as we begin to place a higher value on who we are, we naturally want to take better care of ourselves. As we hold ourselves in this esteem, we intuitively are in a better place to practice self-care. We are now ready to adopt better habits and begin the process of making positive, life-enhancing choices. This indeed includes becoming more confident and comfortable with the outside self, feeling like the self in the mirror accurately reflects the self we are beginning to respect, accept, and honor.

TAKING ACTION: GETTING THE SKINNY ON FAT
As we know, aerobic exercise can be a very efficient method to increase metabolism and burn fat when done consistently. I have found aerobic exercising to be most beneficial and more rewarding when done in concert with yoga, (the way we move in our bodies), life-affirming nutrition (the way we eat and care for our bodies), and conscious communication (the way we relate to others and navigate relationships). (Otherwise it’s so easy to ping-pong between dieting and over-eating)

I have been practicing an aerobics regime predicated on all the above which is fun and effective in terms of maintaining health and a level of fitness that is satisfying to me. I have found that I can tone muscle, burn fat and increase my energy level through an aerobic workout which involves a high- energy session of skipping rope and hula-hooping to music. The benefits are clear and measurable: an increase in cardiovascular capacity, a more active metabolism, a way to burn unwanted calories, fine tune and whittle away any problem areas. In conjunction with conscious movement, healthy eating, and deeper understanding and communication, (yoga, nutrition, talk therapy), this personalized method will build strength and confidence, increase endorphins, improve your mood and help you work toward and ultimately attain your physical ideal. We will work together in a real collaborative effort to link your inner and outer beauty. It takes dedication to realize change; I invite you to reclaim your power and fully express your beauty.