Therapy

Therapeutic techniques I use are oriented towards an integration of mind, body, soul and spirit using the creative brain, including; play, movement, music, guided imagery, art, breathing/mindfulness and felt body senses. As a drama therapist theatre techniques, role playing, embodying parts of the self, as well as talk therapy are integral to my work.

Frameworks, theories and therapies: 

Drama Therapy is an experiential form of psychotherapy that utilizes role play, improvisation and other theater techniques, movement, mindfulness exercises, and psychodrama as tools for personal growth and change.  It is playful, yet sparks insight. It promotes spontaneity, creativity, emotional expression, connection, and cognitive and behavioral change. 

EMDR Therapy – Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing is a therapy which uses bi-lateral stimulation to fully integrate and heal past and current emotional, physical or psychological traumas and adverse life experiences. The sooner the experience is processed the quicker the healing begins.

Mindfulness Based Therapy – focuses on the current moment. By cultivating an awareness of what is happening in the “now” or by developing awareness or mindsight we can retrain our brains and develop healthier habits and coping skills.

Relational Therapy is all about self and others. In working with my clients I look for their histories as a relational history and discover in their stories that whatever is going on for them is relational and affects their relationships. I feel that relational trauma has been under-emphasized in therapy unless it is directly related to abuse. I find that emotional neglect, lack of nurture and love, is also very traumatic and affects the ability to build current secure attachments. Both feminist and relational therapy appeal to my sense of equality and collaboration with my clients.

Feminist Therapy speaks to me deeply because of its understanding that all of society is built upon patriarchal values and belief systems which hurts all genders. These have become so systemic and invisible that my own internalized patriarchal values often still rise to the surface of my awareness and I must address them with love and acceptance. Feminist therapy validates and empowers those of us who know how difficult it is to work within institutions and hierarchies which are often systemically patriarchal.

Solo Theatre – I am trained and have experience in two therapeutic theatre modalities: “Self-Revelatory Theatre” and “Autobiographical Therapeutic Theatre.” I work with individuals as well as groups who want to produce their own solo theatre or group theatre productions. I wrote and produced my own solo performance “Dragonfly Girl Finds Home” and performed the show at the Latino Cultural Arts Center in San Francisco as the capstone project for my M.A. degree in Drama Therapy.

Psychotherapy Sessions:

I work with individuals, adults as well as children, adolescents, couples and groups.

$ 185.00 for 50 minute sessions

$275.00 for 75 minute sessions (preferred for couples and EMDR processing sessions and creative sessions)

(I have a few sliding scale slots open)

Contact me: andriette@anchorcounselingpasadena.com or call (626) 658-7743.